Thanks Leonardo
by AkiraDawn
Summary: The sequel to 'Hey Leonardo'. New Year's Eve in Nevassa had arrived! It's the biggest celebration of the year. How exactly would this celebration end? There was still unfinished business. Oh, the things you do for your friends. Contains OC
1. New Years Eve

Thanks Leonardo

Greetings! Here is the sequel to Hey Leonardo. If you haven't read it, I would suggest you read it first before reading this one or you may be lost regarding some of the details. I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate your reviews and your reading! Just a fair warning this one may be a little more intense in places but not enough to drive the rating up.

New Years Eve in Nevassa was the party of the year. The entire city celebrated with passion and fervor. It was the one night that the city didn't shut down at all. New Year's Eve in Nevassa was nothing short of a spectacle. Whether it be the enormous fireworks display that exploded at midnight, or the fact that the entire city crowded the streets to celebrate the night away; Nevassa was the place to be.

Leonardo walked in to Edward's house without even knocking. His hands were full of bags and he struggled to open the door. "Hey, I got everything on the list."

"Where have you been!?" Edward shouted.

"Getting everything on the list, which by the way there was way too much alcohol on the list. We are so not drinking nearly as much this year as we did last year." Leonardo warned.

"Yes we are! I love drunk Leonardo! Drunk Leonardo tells EVERYTHING!" Edward said excitedly.

"Exactly! Which is why I have a limit." Leonardo said unloading the bags. "Edward, this is way, way too much; are you insane!?

"No! It's perfect! You're going to drink…a lot and then you're going to tell Noelle how much you love her and then….finally you're going to kiss her!" Edward said helping unload the bags.

"We'll see, Edward. But I'm telling you now, I'm not drinking with you like I did last year because that's when I told you about Noelle for the first time." Leonardo said. "And by the way, when is Mia going to get here?"

"Sometime this afternoon, she's going to your girl's house first." Edward said.

"She's not MY girl yet." Leonardo said.

"I've seen the way she holds on to you, the way she hugs you and doesn't let go until you let go of her. She's yours…she's your girlfriend and it didn't happen the way you had it planned." Edward observed.

"That's so not fair, you're supposed to be the one that things happen to in an unplanned fashion." Leonardo said laughing.

"Here's my advice to you…since you've given so much good advice to me. You introduce her to someone as your girlfriend…anyone…it doesn't matter who it is and you see how she reacts." Edward said.

A few blocks away from Edward's house Mia had just made her arrival. "Happy New Year's Eve!" she shouted greeting Noelle with open arms. Noelle hugged her and returned her enthusiasm.

"Come in, get unpacked! Pardon the wedding gown in the middle of the room. I had to spread the train out. I have to have this finished and delivered by 10:00 tomorrow morning!" Noelle said.

"Oh my…I can't believe you made that! That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! She's getting married on New Year's Day? That's unique!" Mia said admiring Noelle's precise work.

"I'm going to work on it while you unpack. I'd be done with it but at the last minute the bride changed her mind about the train and wanted it embellished. It's okay though, she's paying me double the labor to do the work." Noelle said as Mia unpacked in the other room.

"Hey, are we supposed to take anything to Edward's tonight?" Mia asked from the other room. Noelle's eyes shot open. She had been so absorbed in getting this gown completed that she hadn't gotten anything she had promised she would bring to Edward's tonight.

"Mia…you're going to need to go get some things." Mia's head popped out of the extra room where she had stayed only three weeks earlier when she met Noelle. They had been writing back and forth for these past three weeks.

"You forgot to get the stuff didn't you?" Mia asked grinning all over.

"I forgot to get the stuff…I can't stop working on this gown or it won't get done. Do you care to go into town? There's not much to get but I can't stop now." Noelle asked of Mia.

"I'd love to get the stuff on the list!" Mia said.

"It's over there on the table." Noelle said. Mia went over to the table and looked at the piece of paper laying there. "This isn't a hard list. I won't be long. By the way what are these bourbon balls that we're making?" Mia asked.

"It's kind of like a truffle only they have bourbon in them. I make them ever New Year's. Don't worry, you can hardly taste the bourbon in them." Noelle reassured her.

"Then we'll just drink the rest!" Mia said, her eyes on fire.

"That is the stupidest idea you've had since you got here!" Noelle said laughing at her.

"That's the only idea I've had since I got here. Don't worry, I'll come up with at least five other ideas while I'm gone. I'll be back!" Mia said bouncing out the door. Noelle just smiled and shook her head. Knowing Mia, she probably would have at least five other ideas by the time she came back.

Back on Edward's street, Edward was dragging pieces of chicken through a flour mixture. They had three hours before Nolan would arrive. Nolan was always the first to show up…oh wait….that wouldn't be the case. Mia would show up first, Noelle would get as much done as possible on her gown and then show up. THEN, Nolan would show up. What a difference a year can make.

"Edward, your job this year is to sit between Sothe and Micaiah all night." Leonardo said.

"Not at all! I'm going to make that Nolan's job." Edward said.

"You know he won't go for that for a minute. It's Nolan, he's going to drink too much wander off into town and hit on someone." Leonardo said. "Come on Edward, you know if someone isn't between them Micaiah will end up on Sothe's lap. Where's the apple cider?"

"Um…I put it in that cabinet over there." Edward would have gotten it but he was covered in flour.

"Okay, instead of sitting between Micaiah and Sothe your job will be to make sure Nolan doesn't spike this apple cider with something…." Leonardo paused and smiled. "Mia can sit between Sothe and Micaiah." He knew that would get a reaction.

"No! No! Mia will absolutely not do that…we'll make Laura do it. She's going to be here!" Edward said knowing he had arrived at the perfect solution. Leonardo thought a moment.

"It's cruel but it will work." Leonardo said.

Mia had just returned with the list that Noelle had forgotten to get.

"Got everything! Wow was it busy down there today!" Mia said.

"I should have warned you, that place is nuts on New Year's Eve. What time is it?" Noelle asked a little nervous that she wouldn't get this done before she and Mia would leave for Edward's.

"It's 4:30." Mia said looking at the clock. Noelle sighed.

"So…do you cook Mia?" she knew there was no way she could get those bourbon balls done.

"Oh, I'm a terrible cook! But I'd be willing to try and do it right! Do you want me to make the bourbon balls?" Mia asked.

"That would be great!" Noelle said. 'The recipe is over there on the stove."

"Let's see…powdered sugar, chocolate, pecans, bourbon, butter…yeah! I can do this." Mia feared she would mess this up. She couldn't cook…poor girl…she meant well but she just didn't have a knack for it. "Um….Noelle…I'm really embarrassed but…what does…sift sugar mean?" Oh, Mia…

"This one?" Edward asked holding up a pan.

"No, the other one." Leonardo said.

"This one?" Edward picked up something else.

"No, the glass one!" Leonardo was about to drop lots of chicken parts in the floor. Edward of course got sidetracked from what he was doing and didn't finish his chicken project.

"This one?" Edward showed him another pan.

"No, Edward! The big glass pan! I'm going to drop chicken in your floor!" Leonardo wondered what was so hard about this. Edward, being who he was pulled every single pan out of the cabinet resulting in a lovely crash in the middle of his floor. Leonardo shook his head.

"This one!" Edward said taking the pan over to the pile of chicken that Leonardo was holding. "Hey, why didn't we have this at your house this year? Your house is bigger than mine.

"Because you insisted on having this at your house this year." Leonardo reminded him.

"Oh yeah! I did." Edward was so happy. Back at Noelle's things weren't exactly going so smoothly with Mia and these bourbon balls. She looked at the recipe.

"Four ounces of bourbon…" she said out loud but mostly to herself. She thought for a moment. "Eight ounces of bourbon…" Mia said thrilled with the decision she had made as she doubled the amount of bourbon in the recipe. Noelle had one side of the train on the gown done but there was still another side to go.

"How's it going over there?" she asked of Mia.

"Terrific! I'm so good at this!" Mia said pleased with herself even though it looked like she left something out of the mixture.

"Finally! I'm done with this side. I'm going to get dressed. Are you okay to finish those?" Noelle asked.

"Sure! I'll do a great job, I promise!" Mia said….she probably would not do a great job but she would certainly have fun doing it.


	2. Mia Can't Cook

"We're here!" Mia exclaimed. "I made the bourbon balls!" Noelle closed the door behind them. Mia was so proud of herself.

"Hey, did you get done today?" Leonardo asked taking Noelle in his arms.

"I still have half of one side to go. I'm just going to finish it before 10:00 tomorrow." Noelle said. "So, what needs done here?" Noelle asked not letting Leonardo out of her arms.

"Just a few things, not much. You want some chicken? Edward fried it, he's good at it." Leonardo said.

"That does sound good and I'm hungry." Noelle said.

"Nolan will be here soon and you get to meet Laura tonight!" Edward said to Mia.

"You'll like Laura, she's sweet. A little shy but sweet." Leonardo told Noelle.

"I brought the rest of the bourbon that didn't go into the recipe." Mia said with her arms wrapped around Edward's shoulders.

"It's true, she did. I couldn't stop her." Noelle said. Leonardo handed her a plate of chicken.

"That smells so good." Noelle said. The door opened and Nolan walked in. He never bothered knocking at Edward's house…come to think of it, he never bothered knocking at most places he went.

"Here, we are again! Another New Year's Eve at Edward's. Another bottle of spiced rum, courtesy of myself. How is everyone?" Nolan asked. "Oh my god…I don't remember your name. I'm miserably sorry. I just remember how I would have easily picked you out of a crowd because you're not at all hard to look at." Nolan said not even slightly remembering Noelle's name.

"That's alright. It's Noelle." Noelle reminded him.

"Thank you! I would have never thought of that." Nolan said. "What's with the chicken?"

"Do you want some? I made lots of it!" Edward said getting out another plate.

"Sure, why not." Nolan said. Just then Noelle realized she was still wearing her coat.

"Will you hold this? I'm going to go put my coat in Edward's closet." Noelle handed over her plate to Leonardo. He decided he might as well eat some of it.

"Things must be going well for you. You're comfortable enough to eat her chicken. That's like…light years ahead of what I last witnessed with you." Nolan said. Leonardo shook his head yes, he couldn't answer him right now. Edward's chicken was the best!

"Please tell me that you're going to get drunk enough that you starting confessing everything like you did last year. Because I know, this year you will have some excellent stuff to tell." Nolan said. Leonardo threw the chicken bones in the bag beside the stove.

"You can pretty much count on that NOT happening." Leonardo said. Nolan shook his head as he too tried Edward's chicken.

"Well aren't you just no fun. I love asking you incredibly sensitive and invasive questions when you're drunk and I had so many planned." Nolan said.

"Well, you're going to have to babysit Edward instead because I know how much I can have before I start answering anything anybody asks me." Leonardo told him. Noelle had returned at this point. "Here's your plate…I kind of ate part of it." Noelle smiled.

"That's okay I can probably talk Mia out of some more since she's closest to the stove.

"Yes you can! Here…" Mia didn't hesitate grabbing the plate away from Noelle and filling it up again.

"Come on, let's take this in there." Nolan said directing everyone to Edward's living room. It was a good idea. Sothe and Micaiah were always late to things like this so it was likely Laura would show up next.

"I see you have apple cider." Nolan said.

"Yes! And you're not supposed to spike it!" Edward said….yeah that was completely convincing. Nolan smiled.

"Edward, when have I ever done such a thing?" Nolan asked. Edward didn't answer him. Instead there was a knock at the door.

"I bet that's Laura!" Edward exclaimed letting go of Mia's hand and hurrying for the door. "Hi Laura!" Edward hugged her. It had been a long time since anyone had seen Laura.

"Hi Edward!" Laura stepped inside excitedly.

"Laura! You have to meet my girlfriend!" Edward said as softly as he could. Laura's eyes grew wide.

"You have a girlfriend!? Edward!" Laura said shocked. She smiled all over and slapped Edward's arm. Edward smiled.

"I do, come and meet her!" Edward said leading Laura behind the couch.

"Hi Laura, it's nice to see you." Nolan greeted her.

"This is Mia!" Edward said wrapping his arms around her, kissing her cheek.

"Hi, hi…it's nice to meet you!" Laura said reaching for Mia's hand. "And who do we have here?" Laura asked regarding Noelle. Laura's eyes sparkled. She looked at Edward for an answer.

"Well, Laura…why don't you ask Leonardo." Edward said stepping behind Leonardo flicking him in the head. It was Edward's way of telling Leonardo to introduce Noelle to Laura as his girlfriend. He could do this, the hard part was over.

"Laura…this…is…my girlfriend…Noelle." Maybe it didn't come out as fluently as it should have, but he had said it; with an arm around her, he said it. Noelle's face lit up.

"Sheesh! Have I missed it all or what!?" Laura said. "It's nice to meet you." Laura leaned in toward Noelle but still spoke loud enough for Leonardo and Mia to hear her. "You are going to be the biggest disappointment of so many women." Noelle could have said something clever, but she had just met this woman so she kept her mouth shut. "Where is Sothe and Micaiah?" Laura asked.

"Late again, as usual. They are late like every year." Nolan said.

"They'll be here soon. They are never that late." Edward said.

"I'm going to get things started without them." Nolan said getting up and heading back to the kitchen. Leave it to Nolan to start this night right. Edward didn't even offer to help him, Nolan could handle it.

"Edward, which cabinet are your glasses in?" Nolan wondered.

"The one on the right." Edward answered him. Nolan made the horrible mistake of tasting one the bourbon balls. "Oh my god! Who made these bourbon balls….these are horrible!"

"I made them!" Mia said excitedly.

"Sweetheart…I think you left something out, these are wretched." Nolan said honestly. Noelle laughed with Mia.

"You better be glad you're pretty. I told you it looked like you left something out." Noelle told her. Nolan brought one of these less than tasty treats over to Noelle so she could try it. The look on her face said it all.

"Mia! What did you do?" she couldn't help but laugh at Mia.

"Here, let me try it, it can't be that bad." Leonardo said taking the uneaten portion from Noelle. Leonardo shook his head.

"Okay, so…we'll just throw those out and pretend like Mia never made them." Leonardo said putting the rest of it on the table in front of him.

"Do you think it's because I doubled the bourbon in the recipe?" Mia asked innocently. She wasn't at all shy about sitting on Edward's lap.

"You doubled the bourbon!? That's exactly why. If you doubled the bourbon you should have doubled the sugar. Next time we'll just have you make your chocolate candy." Noelle said still laughing at her.

"Hey! I can do that!" Mia said happily.

"So, are you staying in town tonight? How did you manage to get a room at the inn on New Year's Eve?" Laura asked Mia.

"No, I'm staying with her." Mia said pointing to Noelle.

"Hey everyone, sorry we're late Micaiah was….ooooh Nolan's at it already." Sothe said just barging through the door.

"Sothe! You are just in time for me to hand you this glass!" Nolan said greeting him with a hug.

"Hi! Laura! You could make it!" Micaiah hadn't seen Laura in quite a while so this was a perfect time to catch up with her.

"Sothe! You can help me." Nolan said wanting Sothe in the kitchen with him.

"Ooooh…did Edward fry chicken?" Sothe noticed the pan on the stove. "Edward! Can I have some of this chicken?"

"Yeah! Sure! Don't eat the bourbon balls!" Edward warned him. Mia laughed again.

"Well, him saying that makes me want one." Sothe said.

"No, Edward isn't messing with you, man. You do NOT want one of those things. What the…you finished that drink already? You're supposed to be helping me fix these." Nolan said.

"Don't worry Nolan…I will help you by fixing me another drink…oh and something for my BEAUTIFUL wife." Sothe said.

"You haven't even been drinking and you're already…Sothe-ish." Nolan said not really knowing what word to put there.

"Hey, it's nice to see you again!" Micaiah said greeting Noelle. Mia thought this was the perfect time to swoop in and let Micaiah know that three weeks ago she let Noelle know far too much information.

"Yeah, Micaiah. You remember Noelle….you know, she's a seamstress…here…in Nevassa? She helped you…clean up…at the dinner you hosted?" Oh Mia, it was too bad Micaiah was a little naïve and that went right over her head.

"Of course I remember!" Micaiah said thinking nothing of what Mia just said. Here's to the night…


	3. Nolan and the Cider

Just as fair warning, since there has never been and drinking in Radiant Dawn, this chapter is left entirely up to my interpretation.

Nolan, Sothe, Noelle and Laura were standing in the kitchen.

"Edward?" Sothe called with no response. Noelle looked over at Nolan. She did a double take at the sight of what he was doing.

"Edward!" Sothe called to him again with no response.

"Are you supposed to be pouring a whole bottle of spiced rum into that apple cider?" Noelle asked as she watched Nolan do the exact thing that Edward was supposed to be preventing Nolan from doing. Nolan smiled and leaned in a little too close for comfort to Noelle.

"Sssshhhhhhh….this is our little secret…and this glass is for you!" Nolan said handing a cup over to her. "Here…take this one to Leonardo."

"Did you just sniff me?" Noelle asked taking a drink.

"EDWARD!" Sothe yelled at him.

"Yeah!?" Edward asked turning around quickly.

"Where are your shot glasses?" Sothe wondered.

"Uuhhhhh….if I have any, they are in one of those cabinets." Edward said.

"He has some! They are in that cabinet over the stove!" Leonardo said turning around to see where Sothe was looking.

"I did just sniff you and I'm not going to lie…you're scent is amazing and if I hit on you later I am very sorry. Noelle smiled.

"Here's to me forgiving you for that." Noelle said clanging her glass against Nolan's.

"You're too kind and too beautiful. I like you." Nolan said. Noelle smiled and walked over to the couch. She reached over Leonardo's shoulder and handed him the cider that Nolan had just messed with. Edward obviously did not do his job. This time, Leonardo didn't even flinch as she drug her hand across his collarbone. Finally, he had relaxed.

"Nolan! What did you do to this! Edward! Nolan spiked the cider!" Leonardo scolded Edward. "Oh my, he's not even listening at this point." Leonardo shook his head and laughed at him. Sothe had finished whatever he was doing and returned to the living room.

"Okay, Laura are you going to try and take shots with me?" Sothe asked. Laura laughed.

"Nope. You know I didn't do well last year when I tried to take shots with you." Laura said.

"So, you choked on your first shot! You were a beginner. Come on, come try again. I'm not taking all eight of these myself." Sothe said.

"Noelle…do you do shots?" Sothe wondered a smiled creeping over his face. Noelle smiled.

"I'll do them, it's been a while but I'll do them."

"Excellent, here's what we do. Tell me when you've had enough." Sothe was so immersed right now. "Wait, will you do these with her?" Sothe asked Leonardo.

"I haven't had much so yes I'll take them with her." Leonardo said moving closer to the table before them.

"Oh god, this is perfect! Hold on, I have to pour some more. Micaiah, I'll make you something too." Sothe said. Leonardo wasn't shy about moving closer to Noelle on the couch. Edward was practically in his lap anyway, so he had to move closer to her. He pulled her black hair back away from her face. Noelle's eyes lit up when he did that.

"Is um…is he going to be okay?" Noelle asked referring to Edward who now had his head in Leonardo's lap.

"He'll be fine, believe me…it gets worse. He's in his 'I'm going to touch everyone' phase. Later he'll enter his 'let's laugh for 20 minutes at an orange' phase. Eventually, he will just pass out. He's perfectly harmless…Sothe on the other hand is….not perfectly harmless." Leonardo explained.

"What about you?" Noelle asked completely unexpectedly. What was it about that question that made it so….alluring. Was it her words that were so beautiful or the way her face glowed.

"Um…." Leonardo realized he wasn't sure what to say to her. "I…" thanks goodness this botched sentence was interrupted by Edward throwing his arms around Leonardo.

"I love you!" Edward said burying his face in Leonardo's sweater. Noelle laughed at him.

"Edward, get out of my lap. It's barely 11:00, you are going to be a mess by the end of this night." Leonardo was trying to pry Edward off of him.

"I just need a hug!" Edward said.

"Then go hug Mia." Leonardo told him getting Edward unhooked from him.

"Really? That's going to end well?" Noelle questioned.

"I'll check on him later, he'll be fine." Leonardo told her. Sothe had returned and was ready to start his ritual.

"Alright, I think I poured like ten more of these. So, here's what we'll do. Leonardo, you get to do the honors." Sothe said pushing eighteen shot glasses toward him. "Don't worry, I know this looks like a lot but I'll pour whatever is left down Micaiah."

"Here's what we do. I line these up in front of you until you tell me to stop. Then you do it for Sothe, and Sothe does it for me." Leonardo explained this ritual. Noelle smiled.

"Okay. I'll tell you." She watched the first glass be pushed before her. Then number two…number three…she watched Leonardo carefully as number four slid her way…and then…number five. "Stop." She mouthed the word. Leonardo watched her just as intently as she watched him.

"Oh my god! If you do all five of those...you…have no idea." Sothe said.

"I can do it, I'll be okay. Now it's your turn." Noelle began lining up the small glasses in front of Sothe. She stopped at eight. Sothe always went too far.

"Now, don't you wimp out on me." Sothe warned Leonardo as he started lining up glasses in front of him. Sothe stopped at six. "Oh what? You can do better than that, I know for a fact but whatever. I'll go first." Sothe said swallowing the first glass. It didn't take him long to go through the line before him.

"Perfect, as usual Sothe." Leonardo told him.

"Okay, follow me…you go last Noelle." Sothe told her. Sothe watched the glasses in front of Leonardo disappear. He smiled, more than excited to see what Noelle could do. "Alright, now it's your turn." Sothe said laying less than innocent eyes all over Noelle. She smiled but not at him. After two glasses disappeared, Sothe watched her more intently. The other three disappeared. "Ooooh wow…here…match him." Sothe insisted pushing one more glass in front of her. She laughed.

"Alright, Leonardo did six, I can handle six." Noelle said swallowing the glass that he had just presented her. It was a good thing that Leonardo had her in his arms after she drank that last one…otherwise Sothe may have jumped over the table right now even though he was married.

"You…are unbelievable." Sothe said getting up to find Micaiah to give her the rest of the shots he had poured.

"OH MY GOD GUESS WHAT!?" Edward said diving on the couch beside Leonardo.

"It's okay Edward, you're two inches from me you don't have to yell but what?" At least he couldn't fall into Leonardo's lap because Noelle was sitting there right now.

"Me and Mia…are going to do something!" Edward said lowering his voice.

"What kind of something?" Leonardo asked only slightly concerned at this point.

"We….are…going to SIT ON THIS COUCH WITH YOU!" Edward said jumping back off the couch and grabbing Mia's arm.

"Edward, you are so drunk. Stop drinking now." Leonardo cautioned him. Btu talking to Edward at this point would do no good because he was already too far gone and Mia was close behind him.

"Hey! Hey, Nolan….check it out. I made a list of questions to ask Leonardo when he drinks too much and answers anything you ask him truthfully." Sothe said pulling a list out of his pocket to show Nolan.

"You did not!" Nolan said.

"I'm serious man…look! It's front and back. I figured that since last year I was just thinking off the top of my head that this year I would make a list of very specific questions. Not to mention, I want to know EVERYTHING when it comes to her." Sothe said. Nolan laughed.

"Oh my god, Sothe! How much thought did you put into this? What the….Sothe! Do you not know Leonardo at all? He won't answer number 11 drunk or sober. But if it were me, I'd say the answer is yes." Nolan said scanning this crazy list that Sothe made.

"Micaiah thought of number 24 and check this out….number 16…is a two part question." Sothe was so proud of himself. Nolan was still laughing at him.

"I want to see the look on your face if you ask number 19. Oh my god! He wouldn't even…Sothe! Oh god I so want to be in the room when you start in on this." Nolan said still laughing.

"Come on Nolan, have a drink with me!" Sothe said excitedly taking his list back and shoving it in his pocket.

"Will you eat some more chicken with me?" Leonardo asked. Her thigh could have been a dangerous place for his hand to be but it lit Noelle's world on fire.

"Yeah, I'll eat some." Noelle said.

"I may want to get some for Edward and Mia…it seems they could use it." Leonardo said going to get another plate of chicken.


	4. Midnight

Micaiah, Laura, a very drunk Mia, and Noelle were all in the middle of a poker game. It seemed odd that four girls were playing poker but this was very entertaining to everyone else in Edward's house right now.

"Micaiah, I love you dearly but you suck at this. NOLAN! Drink some more with me!" Sothe said a little sloshy as he hit Nolan in the back. It was true Micaiah had lost every single hand she had played. Mia, despite her uncontrollable laughter and poor reasoning skills was doing the best. Sothe handed something over to Nolan that he had lovingly made in the kitchen.

"Okay, let's do something." Sothe said putting his arm over Nolan's shoulders. "Look at the way Mia and Noelle hold their cards…they've played poker before. Now, look at the way my beautiful wife and Laura hold their cards…they obviously don't know what they're doing. Hey! Nolan! You want to bet on something?" Sothe asked, naturally his face was full of pure diabolicalness right now.

"Always. What are we betting on?" Nolan asked. Sothe leaned over and whispered something to Nolan.

"Oh my god Sothe! Leonardo is going to kill you! I mean, he's totally suave ninety-right percent of the time but in that other two percent he's going to go crazy on you! But yes, I am totally in on that bet. In fact, I will raise my glass to you on that one." Nolan said clanging his glass into Sothe's. Nolan threw forty pieces of gold on the table beside them.

"Perfect!" Sothe said. "By the way, where is Leonardo right now?"

"Well, Edward was stupid enough to spill something all over himself so Leonardo's helping out there since Edward didn't even have a clue that he had done something." Nolan said.

"It's nearly midnight, he better get the job done or they will both miss the fireworks." Sothe said.

"You know, I have to say…it's really nice that Leonardo is there for him ALL the time. If you spilled something all over you. I would make Micaiah deal with you. You are a great friend and all, but I'm turning you over to Micaiah if that happens." Nolan said. The time right now was 11:38. There wasn't much time left until midnight was upon Nevassa.

"Where did you learn to play poker?" Laura asked Noelle. Noelle laughed.

"It's an odd story but a good one. When I was 17 my father started taking me with him to poker night at the Bern Street Tavern. The first few trips with him I just watched the men play but when I started getting in on the games my father told me I could keep anything I won. I learned a lot about life around that poker table." Noelle told her.

"Whoa, I've never done anything like that with my dad." Laura said smiling.

"It was a good group that my dad played with. They were honest, hard-working men who would have never hurt a fly. I guess I was lucky enough to have five fathers instead of one." Noelle told her.

Edward and Leonardo had returned to the living room. "Here Mia, he's clean." Leonardo said shoving Edward into her. Mia just laughed like crazy. It was now 11:43. There were a little over fifteen minutes left before the start of a new year.

"Nolan, the way I see it. This year is going to be our year!" Sothe said. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"Sothe…your year was last year…how many times do I have to remind you that you're MARRIED! And to the woman you've been in love with since…as long as I can possibly remember." Nolan said.

"Damn…I did have MY year last year didn't I?" Sothe said disappointed. "I'm like…the one you come to for advice now aren't I?" Sothe asked. Nolan laughed at him.

"Ooooh my god Sothe! You will so not be that person for at least another five years. I am still the holder of that title. You want to hit the bars with me tonight?" Nolan asked.

"Are you serious? You're going to go?" Sothe wondered.

"Maybe…hell I don't know. I might just sit here and see what happens to Edward if you don't go with me." Nolan said.

"I can't go with you! Micaiah would kill me! And frankly I don't blame her! You and I will stay right here…where did I get this popcorn?" Sothe asked.

"You took that from your wife after kissing her in a most passionate manner. I wouldn't know what that's like." Nolan said.

"Don't you get all mopey on me! Nolan! Don't give me that crap! You snap out of that attitude right now!" Sothe told him. The poker game had now ended after poor Micaiah had lost her twenty-seventh hand that night. It was appropriate enough, Edward had wandered into his own kitchen and couldn't wait to show Mia what he thought was the funniest thing EVER.

"Mia! Come here!" Edward said smiling like crazy trying to hide his laughter. Mia was so excited as she rushed toward the kitchen to see what Edward was hiding.

"LOOK!" Edward said wide eyed thrusting a pineapple into Mia's face. Mia, like Edward thought this pineapple was hilarious. Leonardo was standing behind where Noelle was sitting.

"Oh my god…they were positively meant for each other. They've entered the laughing at fruit phase." Leonardo said resting his head on top of Noelle's Her hair smelled nice. Without even thinking, his lips touched her head. It wasn't really a kiss but it could have been. It had potential but it didn't quite make it. It was unusual, Edward was well lit and Leonardo wasn't even halfway there. He wanted it that way even though last year he was just as bad as Edward if not worse. Leonardo had plans and he was going to be stone sober when those plans were carried out. The time was now 11:52. It was time. Leonardo leaned over Noelle's shoulder.

"Hey, do you want to go to the end of Edward's street to see the fireworks? There's a great view at the end of the street." Leonardo asked her. There was only one way to get her alone and away from everyone else in Edward's house. This was it…midnight wasn't far away.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Let me find my coat." Noelle said standing up. Everyone else would be watching tonight from Edward's back porch. Leonardo put his coat on while Noelle got hers out of the closet.

"Where the hell are you going?" Wait…you don't have to tell me…but let me tell you something…" Leonardo cut Sothe off.

"How drunk is he?" He asked Nolan.

"Man, we are both drunk enough to look you in the eye and tell you that we think your girlfriend is damn fine!" Nolan said. Leonardo didn't have a chance to respond to that one.

"Alright, so I was saying…what was I saying?" Sothe asked Nolan. "Wait! Now I remember. Okay, okay…don't do anything I wouldn't do…but if you do…always tell your friends everything in great detail." Sothe said. Leonardo tried to smile through gritted teeth.

"Sothe, if I didn't know you were smashed right now and that this is the way you are when you're smashed…and I mean this in the nicest way…but I would hold that against you for a really long time."

"You're so understanding, man! I knew I was friends with you for a reason!" Sothe said standing up and throwing his arms around Leoanrdo.

"Okay, sorry. Mia fell on me in the closet, then Edward closed the closet and well anyway, now I'm here." Noelle explained.

"Oooh that could have been hot." Nolan whispered to Sothe.

"Could have been hot, man." Sothe agreed with him in the same hushed tone.

"We'll be back." Leonardo said taking Noelle by the hand and heading out the door.

Once outside, Leonardo wrapped Noelle in his arm. "We're just going to the intersection. It isn't far and we'll have a great view." Leonardo said. He could feel his heart racing a bit. Leonardo looked at his watch: 11:57. Three minutes until he made the move he had longed to make since the day he took Noelle to the winter dinner.

"I'm…I'm not going to lie…I'm so happy being with you tonight." Noelle said. It was true that she had spent the last four New Year's Eves alone. After her father had his stroke…she didn't really feel like she had him with her anymore. So the past four years she had spent it alone, on the second floor balcony of her house watching the fireworks and drinking all the wine she could handle. She remembered how painful and overwhelming the previous year was, how life had somehow got the best of her and she spent midnight on her balcony in the cold with a bottle of wine in one hand and her tears falling like the embers of the fireworks display. My, was this year different.

"I wouldn't want you anywhere else tonight. You um…you don't deserve to ever spend a New Year's Eve alone…or a Monday, or Tuesday…or….Wednesday…or…any day." Leonardo told her. It took a lot for him to say something like that.

"Have you been okay with being with my friends all New Year's Eve? I never really thought of that. We need to do something with your friends sometime." Leonardo said. Noelle's face sunk a little.

"Leonardo, I…I don't…I don't really have friends. My two best friends were killed in civilian cross fire in the war. I guess there is Johann and Wesley from the tavern…but they are more like brothers…not friends. And it's not like you can just…oh it's not important anymore. Me and Mia have gotten quite close in the time we've known each other. I like that." Noelle explained. That was almost enough to break Leonardo's heart to think that someone like Noelle had been alone in her life for so long.

"Noelle, my friends are your friends…even though Edward was laughing at a pineapple when we left…everyone in his house would do anything for anyone with a good heart." Leonardo reassured her.

"That's actually very comforting to know." Noelle said

It was 11:58, almost there. Leonardo could feel her tighten her arm around him. It was amazing that they had come this far when only three weeks earlier Leonardo was a nervous wreck over the winter dinner. It was all out in the open now, how much Leonardo adored her and how much Noelle had secretly been attracted to him. She wanted to melt every time Leonardo touched her. The streets were alive tonight more so than usual. There was a party going on of some sort in every house on the block tonight. The air was filled with the scent of smoke that was bellowing out of all the chimneys tonight.

11:59, they had arrived at the intersection of Edward's street. "Okay, here we are. You know, last year we were all stupid enough to get on Edward's roof and watch the fireworks from there. Looking back, that was probably not a good idea but the view was amazing. What did you do last year?" Leonardo asked holding her against him. She returned his embrace more than willingly. She smiled as she thought about last year. "Oh, it was…well I'll be truthful last year was…sad. But that…that was last year, it's in the past now." She was shaking in his arms but it was more from excitement than cold. Noelle put her head on his shoulder. Leonardo could feel her breath on his neck. Amazingly, that didn't make him nearly as nervous as the anticipation of midnight. He buried his hand in soft black hair. It was smooth, silky, and absolutely perfect.

"Noelle…nothing and no one should ever, ever make you sad." Leonardo said. Noelle didn't have a chance to respond. 12:00. The first of the fireworks exploded exactly on time over the central clock tower. The boom made them both flinch even though they were expecting it.

"Happy New Year…Noelle." Leonardo's voice was serious as he cut right through her with tender blue eyes.

"Happy New Year." Her voice was soft and deliberate. This was it, 12:01 would be too late. It was still 12:00 but not for much longer. Noelle could feel Leonardo's arms around her shoulders, which forced her to lean in closer to him, so close in fact that now Leonardo could feel her breath on his lips. She didn't take her eyes off him. One was just as frozen as the other right now. There were fifteen seconds left until that minute hand changed on the central clock tower. Noelle carefully, gently drug her fingertips over Leonardo's cheek. And then…in that moment…his lips met hers. There were no words to describe this moment. This was the plan, and it had been executed beautifully. Noelle held on to him tighter. She hoped he would never let her go. It was much more than a short-lived New Year's kiss. It was intense, divine and passionate. It had been the best New Year ever.


	5. Sothe's Number 11

It was 4:30 in the morning on what was technically New Year's Day. The streets of Nevassa hadn't calmed down even a half a percent. This city would be a wreck when the dawn broke over the horizon. Leonardo opened the door to Edward's house.

"Oh my god…Sothe! Sothe! Leonardo is finally back!" Nolan was so excited.

"Where's my list!? Where the hell is my list!? Oh my god where is my list!? Oh, I put it in my pocket….Nolan! Get him on the couch now!" Sothe yelled. Leonardo had barely gotten his coat off as Nolan directed Leonardo toward the couch. Leonardo didn't fight this.

"Oh my god! Sothe! He's not wearing his sweater! Go straight for number 11! Go for 11!" Nolan insisted.

"It's like….35 degrees outside! Where is your sweater!?" Sothe asked.

"That was your first question!?" Nolan scolded Sothe.

"Ooooh, I totally forgot to put that back on…why are you two sitting so close to me on this couch? We have never sat this close together before." Leonardo noticed.

"Leonardo…Leonardo…Leonardo….we just want to talk!" Sothe said wrapping an arm around Leonardo's shoulders.

"So…why didn't you come back here with Noelle?" Nolan wanted to know.

"She's working on a wedding gown. She has to dress a bride in six hours and she has three hours of work to do on the gown. Where's Edward?" Leonardo asked.

"We don't know for sure. We think he might be in bed with Mia…not…in bed with her THAT way but more along the lines of we think she fell asleep in there with him." Sothe explained. "But more importantly Leonardo, where have YOU been for four and a half hours and what have YOU been doing?" Sothe asked scooting in even closer to Leonardo. Leonardo smiled, it was an almost sentimental smile.

"I've had a half a bottle of wine…" he sighed. "Sothe, do you remember the first time you…" Sothe cut him off before Leonardo could finish that sentence.

"The first time I what!? The first time I what!? THE FIRST TIME I WHAAAAAT!?!?" Sothe was ready to explode and Nolan was on the edge of the couch now.

"Do you remember the first time you held Micaiah…and how having to let her out of your arms…was like…torture?" Leonardo asked both seriously and smitten at the same time. Sothe was so disappointed.

"Oh…I guess so, yeah sure…why not! I love Micaiah…ooooh man I can't play hardball about that. Yes, yes I remember that. God how I remember that feeling…" Sothe paused as he reminisced on that. Finally! Something he was sincere about tonight. "So, how drunk would you say you are? Drunk enough to tell me what happened with your sweater or drunk enough to tell me what happened AFTER your sweater disappeared?" Sothe asked.

"Do you maybe need something else to drink?" Nolan offered.

"I'm only fifty percent drunk…that red wine was three hours ago." Leonardo was still caught in his own daze.

"Damn it! That's not enough! Nolan go make him something?" Sothe said.

"I'm on it!" Nolan said quickly getting up from the couch. Leonardo was staring blankly at the floor. Nolan soon returned and shoved something strong into Leonardo's hand and of course Leonardo started drinking it. He rested his head on Nolan's shoulder.

"He's about to crack, Sothe get the list ready!" Nolan said.

"I can't believe…she's alone working…on New Year's Day. I wish I could have held her forever…but I know that she had to get to work. Why couldn't I have held her just a little longer…why….why didn't I kiss her just one more time before I left tonight…" Leonardo took another drink.

"Right, yes that's nice….now what did you do BEFORE you had her in your arms?" Sothe wanted to know.

"We could have talked until the sun came up." Leonardo said finishing the drink in his hand. Nolan sighed.

"Did you two make out or what? You may as well answer me because Sothe's questions are a lot worse.

"Yeah…" it was all Leonardo said as he stared blankly at the ceiling this time. If Sothe and Nolan had been little school girls they would have squealed right now…fortunately that was the least of our worries.

"You still haven't told us why you don't have your sweater." Sothe said.

"Oh yeah…Noelle took it off of me …and when I left I put my coat on without thinking…so it's at her house." Leonardo said still staring at the ceiling. Well, that was kind of the answer Sothe and Nolan were looking for but not quite. "Should I go check on Edward or anything?" Leonardo asked.

"No, no…he's fine I'm sure. We still have to ask you some things." Nolan said.

"I feel like I should check on him and Mia both. They were a mess when I left here. Noelle and I were a little concerned when Mia never came to her house…now I know why…she's in Edward's bed." Leonardo said.

"Now, about that Leonardo…were you…in Noelle's bed? Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…" Sothe whispered to himself over and over.

"No….no….why would I be in her bed?" Leonardo asked now laying across Nolan.

"No! Don't lay on me! You'll go to sleep if you do that!" Nolan said shoving Leonardo back up toward Sothe.

"He smells like her." Nolan whispered to Sothe.

"Alright, so you weren't in her bed…so um…would you say that you were maybe in her floor…you know…undressing her?" Sothe added that last part quickly.

"Huh?" Leonardo asked completely not understanding that question.

"Oh my god, this is worse than listening to Edward give directions to a stranger!" Sothe said letting his head hit his hands.

"Obviously, Sothe we need a different tactic; let's try this…Leonardo, please give us a play by play of what the hell you've been doing for the past four hours!" Nolan said bluntly.

"Oooh….yeah, yeah okay. We went to her house and opened a bottle of wine and we drank part of it on the second floor balcony of her house. It was cold out there but the blanket we were under was warm and her body was warm. So, it started to rain a little bit and we went inside…where one kiss led to another…which is how we ended up on her couch. That…was really hot….oh shit…did I say that out loud?" Leonardo asked not realizing he had told all this.

"God, I love drunk Leonardo so much!" Nolan said.

"I can't take it anymore! Did you have sex with her!? Please tell me what I want to hear!" Sothe pleaded.

"What!? No!?" Leonardo was a bit mortified by this.

"Damn it! That's okay…I'll ask you again in a few months." Sothe said.

"Sothe…we still have Edward to consider." Nolan said.

"Nolan! It's Edward! Come on man, you know as well as I do Leonardo will be first." Sothe said.

"Yeah, you're right." Nolan said. It was now 5:30 in the morning.

"You know it's completely pointless to go to bed right now. I'm going to start making breakfast in an hour anyway." Leonardo said.

"You're going to make breakfast?" Nolan asked.

"I always make breakfast here on New Year's Day. I need to see what he has. Otherwise I actually have to go to that damn market that opens up at 6:00." Leonardo explained.

"So, if you could have…if Noelle hadn't been working on a gown tonight…would you have stayed with her tonight? Would even be here right now?" Nolan wondered.

"God, yes….yes I would have stayed with her. I'd still have my arms around her right now." Leonardo told him.

"Do you ever wonder why Aran never does stuff with us? He's so close to Laura yet he never does anything with us." Sothe asked.

"Oh you know Aran, he has his own agenda, he has his own group of friends." Nolan said.

"I guess so; it just surprises me that he never does anything with us especially with Laura doing things with us." Sothe said.

"What are you doing tomorrow…er….later today." Nolan asked Leonardo.

"Noelle will be done with the wedding at around 11:00 so I'm going to go see her when she gets home." Leonardo said getting up to see what Edward has in his kitchen for him to cook this morning.

"Me and Micaiah really need to head home in the morning but I know that won't happen. I'll be hung over and she will probably sleep until 10:00 so I figure we'll get on the road at like 2:00. Do you think Edward would be pissed if I took a shower?" Sothe wondered.

"If you do, you'll wake him up because his shower is right beside his bedroom." Nolan said. "So what did you find? What are you going to cook?"

"Oh wow…I'm going to fix this bacon…and this sausage. Oh yes…maple syrup, that means I have to fix pancakes. Oh god….eggs….and cheese….I will so scramble those. Biscuits…yes, yes…because there is buttermilk in here…why the hell does Edward have buttermilk? Oooooh strawberries…potatoes!? I'm going to make fried potatoes! Now, I wonder if there is anything in here to make gravy…..oh sweet there is! Orange juice! I found orange juice!" Leonardo started lining up an array of breakfast items in Edward's kitchen.

"Hey, we'll help you cook." Nolan said.

"Thanks, I appreciate the offer. I'm sure Laura will be up soon. She always helps me cook our New Year's breakfasts when Edward is too hung over….when he will be. Hey where is that pineapple? I want to slice that up too." Leonardo wondered.

"Man, don't get freaked out by this…but I think Edward and Mia took it to bed with them. Hey, I know your wine has got to be wearing off a little by now. But um…how's that working out…Edward and Mia?" Nolan asked.

"It's working out really, really well. He really likes her and she's crazy about him." Leonardo said cutting up potatoes first.

"I'm going to rebuild the fire, it's starting to get really low. Hey Leonardo…I want you to know that…what you told me Sothe tonight…I think it was a beautiful New Year's story. You deserve a girl like that." Nolan was so sincere when he said that.

"Yeah, I have to say…when I learned she was a seamstress I was like what the hell? But now I know…" Sothe said. It was 6:15 on New Year's Day, there a lot of work to do for this breakfast tradition ahead and Leonardo was running on no sleep. Across town, Noelle was also going on no sleep at all and though she worked tirelessly on the one thing that would pay two months' salary, the only thing she could think about was seeing Leonardo again.


	6. The Missing Pineapple

A side note: To nooneimportant: Thanks for your review! This chapter should clear up those exact questions, this chapter contains those answers. It's like you read my mind as I was working on this.

Laura stepped into Edward's kitchen yawning. It was 7:45 in the morning on New Year's Day. "Good morning." Laura said sleepily.

"Well, good morning. Are you ready for another fun filled breakfast experience with me?" Leonardo asked her.

Laura yawned again. "I am ready! Do you remember when we tried to make that breakfast casserole? That was not fun filled, Leonardo…as much as I adore your company that was not fun filled." Laura smiled and shook her head.

"Hey now, we didn't mean to put too many eggs in that thing. How were we supposed know it would bubble over and make the mother of all messes?" Leonardo asked her.

"We haven't had our New Year's Eve party at your house since that happened. I looks like you've been busy this morning! Look at all this just waiting for me to help you prepare it! Did you do all this yourself? And where is your sweater!? It's cold in here!" Laura said touching Leonardo's bare arms.

"Well I'll be honest, I was too drunk to handle knives and other pointy things so Sothe and Nolan helped me.

"I'll never forget that time when we were all at a base camp up north and you nearly cut your thumb off. I was scared at the time but looking back that was really funny because the last thing Sothe told you was not to play with the knives. I'm so sure Sothe and Nolan were sober enough to handle knives and other pointy things to help with this breakfast." Laura said pouring a cup of coffee.

"Oh geez…I said words that made Sothe blush that day. And Sothe has done the drunk knife thing before but anyway, Nolan mixed the biscuit batter and he even cut them out into circles. Sothe diced all those potatoes and diced those strawberries. The pancake batter…well I did that because it was the only thing I could handle at the time. Then Sothe and Nolan finally fell asleep after they continuously harped at me to not fall asleep. They also let the fire die. But, they got the job done for us. This is going to be a great breakfast Laura." Leonardo told her.

"So…I'm almost afraid to ask but where did you sleep last night!?" Laura sounded surprised.

"Laura, I couldn't have gone to sleep last night if I wanted to. I haven't been to bed. I'm pretty sure I'm still running on pure adrenaline. Hey, would you do something for me? Could you go into Edward's bedroom…in that chest of drawers, the third drawer has all his long sleeved shirts. Bring me the first shirt you come to. Oh and is there any way you could get that pineapple?" Leonardo wondered. Laura laughed.

"Why is there a pineapple in there? I walked in Edward's bedroom at 2:30, okay? He and Mia were already passed out asleep and Mia was holding a pineapple against her. You know, I had forgotten how funny she is. She could make anybody laugh. Hold on, I'll go get you a shirt and see what I can do about that pineapple." Laura said disappearing. It didn't take her long even though she had to tiptoe around Micaiah who was asleep in the floor. Mia had traded the pineapple for Edward but the question was: where was the pineapple? Laura didn't remember sleeping on it or even feeling it but now there was no sight of it.

"Here you go. I couldn't find the pineapple though. Mia's got her arms around Edward and not the pineapple. Micaiah is in the floor and she doesn't have it. Did you ever think Edward would have three women in bed with him?" Laura asked teasingly.

"Laura, when Edward drinks as much as he did last night…anything is possible." Leonardo said putting Edward's shirt on. "Okay, I'm going to go outside and get more firewood. You can start the bacon." Leonardo told her putting his coat on.

"Okay, I'll do that." Laura searched Edward's cabinet for a couple of iron skillets which she found surprisingly quickly. She had to get the embers lit underneath the stove. There had to be a match somewhere in this kitchen. While Laura looked around Leonardo had made a fast trip back inside. Fortunately, Edward kept all the wood for the fireplace covered near the porch outside.

"It's pouring rain out there…it is definitely a miserable day for a wedding." Leonardo said putting the dry wood near the fireplace. Laura was a bit confused.

"What?" She asked finally finding a match.

"Oh, Noelle's been working on this wedding gown. She has to dress a bride this morning at the church on Hersch Avenue. It was so funny last night…after I realized we had drank an entire bottle of wine I asked her how she was going to finish the gown since she was as drunk as I was. She said she would just work really slowly and take nearly five hours to do work that could be done in three. She's good enough at what she does to sew drunk that's for sure." Leonardo explained.

"I think I might know the minister that's officiating that wedding. By the way…I like her…a lot. She really has her stuff together. Of course, I've always known you'd be with someone who had their stuff together. She's just…so mature and she knows what she wants out of life and she's so articulate. I just like her." Laura said.

"She's wonderful, Laura." Leonardo sighed. "I can't even get started…because she…leaves me at a loss for words.

"I can't believe you've known this girl a year but you've never before made a move on her. I love seeing you like this…you deserve a woman like that." Laura said pushing the bacon around in the pan. The time was now 8:47. A sleepy Micaiah emerged to the kitchen. She blinked a few times trying to wake up.

"Bacon…that smells good…did I actually go to bed without Sothe last night?" Micaiah asked sleepily.

"You fell asleep in the floor of Edward's bedroom last night. Here, have a cup of coffee." Laura said letting the bacon fry as she poured a mug of coffee for Micaiah.

"Thanks, that is exactly what I need to wake up. Has Sothe slept there all night?" Micaiah asked seeing her husband asleep in Edward's chair.

"He's only been asleep for a couple of hours." Leonardo said working on their breakfast potatoes in another skillet beside Laura.

"Did you….pretty much get out every single breakfast food Edward had in his kitchen?" Micaiah asked looking at the wide assortment that was spread before her.

"I did actually. I was pretty drunk at the time…but this is a decision I don't regret." Leonardo told her.

"I don't regret your decision either." Micaiah said sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Micaiah, was Edward okay when you left? He and Mia drank so much last night I feel like I need to go make sure they are okay." Leonardo asked Micaiah.

"Bless your heart. When I got up Mia was literally on top of Edward but they are both sound asleep." Micaiah said.

"After Laura and I get everything cooked I'll take them a plate whether or not they feel like eating." Leonardo said.

"I do not remember falling asleep in the floor last night but I do remember my head spinning like crazy." Micaiah said. At this point the bacon was done, the sausage was done and it was time to start the potatoes and the eggs…but not together of course.

"So, Micaiah what do you want this morning? Scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, or sausage biscuits and gravy with potatoes?" Leonardo asked her.

"Yes." Micaiah answered. This was her way of saying she wanted a little bit of everything. Leonardo laughed.

"Perfect." Leonardo said searching for another skillet. Micaiah had a look on her face like she was thinking much too hard for this hour of the day.

"You were wearing gray last night…weren't you?" Micaiah asked. She could remember that but she couldn't remember falling asleep in Edward's bedroom?

"Yes, I was wearing gray last night. Today I'm wearing Edward's clothes." Leonardo said. "Do you want plain pancakes or strawberry pancakes?

"Strawberry is an option? I want the strawberry." Micaiah said.

"I'll do that and you put those biscuits in the oven." Laura said. Another tag team New Year's Day breakfast courtesy of Laura and Leonardo!


	7. A Gray Morning

"Hey…hey, Edward?" Leonardo kept his voice down. "Edward? Edward wake up…come on you need to eat." Leonardo had a huge plate of food for both Edward and Mia. They absolutely had to eat because of how much they had drunk the night before. "Edward come on…" Leonardo shook him very lightly. Of course Mia was wrapped around Edward so if Edward woke up she would too. Edward groaned a little. "Come on…" Leonardo encouraged him. Edward took a deep breath and squirmed around a little. He moaned louder this time.

"Oooooooh…hey. I have…the headache from hell right now." Edward said weakly.

"Here, you have to eat this. Come on, wake Mia up. I can't stay much longer." Leonardo still held his voice down. Edward's bedroom was still sheltered from the light of day as no one had opened up the curtains that covered it. Mia had started to stir also.

"Ooooooooh god…." Mia groaned opening her eyes slowly.

"I don't think I can sit up right now." Edward mumbled.

"That's fine but you have to eat Edward. So does Mia." Leonardo pushed Edward over far enough to where he could put the plate beside him. "I brought you a big glass of water because orange juice is the last thing you need right now. Now come on, you two eat so I can leave." Leonardo said trying to hurry them along. It was true Leonardo was anxious to get away from everyone. It was now 11:00 and Noelle would likely be home soon. There was so much left over breakfast that Laura was packing up a sack to take to Noelle's, even though she wouldn't need it to recover from the night before…she would likely be just plain hungry. Mia stared at the plate of food. She blinked slowly a couple of times.

"Edward…" she said weakly. "I think there's a pineapple underneath you."

"Look. I really don't mean to rush you but I am exhausted beyond belief. All I want to do is have what's left of our breakfast with Noelle. I need to see her like you wouldn't believe. We have grand plans of taking a nap and believe me…I can't wait. Now if you two would please, please just take a few bites so I know you will have something in your stomach I would greatly appreciate it. Oh and um…could I get that pineapple?" Leonardo was desperate now. Edward slowly reached for the fork and scooped up some of the scrambled eggs. Mia noticed the fork coming toward her so she had no option really but to take a bite. She tasted the eggs slowly.

"I think I like eggs…yeah…yeah I like eggs." Mia said weakly. Edward had managed to eat a little bit. Mia just forgot about the fork and drug a piece of pancake through syrup with her fingers. Leonardo had finally gotten them to eat…slowly.

"Edward?" Mia said.

"Mmm hmmm?" Edward answered her drinking some of the water.

"I'm really happy I'm having breakfast in bed with you." Mia said.

"Me too…I just wish I wasn't this sick right now." Edward said groggily.

"Okay, now that you two are actually eating I'm just going to pull this pineapple out from under you…and be on my way." Leonardo said yanking the pineapple out from under Edward.

"Leonardo....thanks…" Edward said softly.

"For what?" Leonardo asked.

"Everything." Edward said sincerely. Leonardo smiled.

"Uh…okay. You're welcome. Listen, you probably won't see me until tomorrow. You two rest today, okay? That's what you need. You have to eat this food and rest. Mia, if you want some of your clothes that are at Noelle's…I ask you in the kindest way possible please don't come get them. Laura lives like three streets over. I'm sure she'll let you borrow something." Leonardo said.

"Mmm hmmm..." Mia said but Leonardo wasn't completely convinced that she had heard or understood him.

"Is everyone still here?" Edward asked still not convincing enough to be considered fully awake.

"Yes, everyone's still here. Sothe and Nolan just woke up like thirty minute ago. Laura is finishing up cleaning your kitchen. Okay, I'm leaving now." Leonardo said getting off his knees from the floor.

"Wait, wait, wait…will you get me some headache medicine? Ask Laura…" Edward said miserably.

"Yes…headache…a lot." Mia mumbled, her face buried in Edward's side. Leonardo sighed.

"Hold on." He left the room and returned to the kitchen to find that Laura had everything spotless.

"Laura, what can those two take for a massive headache?" Leonardo asked pointing towards Edward's room and conveniently sitting that pineapple on the counter. Laura thought for a moment.

"Hey, you found the pineapple! I have an herbal remedy at home. I'll go get it for them. Oh here, I packed everything up for you to take it with you. It's all still hot. I'll be back; it won't take long." Laura said.

"Excellent. Do you mind? I'll go tell them but then I am so leaving." Leonardo said disappearing again.

"Don't go out there without an umbrella its pouring!" Micaiah cautioned her looking out the window.

"It's okay. I brought an umbrella with me last night in case this happened." Laura said putting on her coat.

"There! They know the medicine is on the way." Leonardo said taking the umbrella out of Edward's closet. It was going to be a wet walk this morning.

"I'll see you all later, it was fun as usual." Leonardo said opening the door.

"Bye! We'll see you again sooner than later." Micaiah said. Sothe was pointing a finger at Leonardo but truthfully, he didn't really have the energy to say anything.

"Bye. I had fun chopping things and keeping you safe from knife injuries." Nolan said.

"That's why I keep you around, Nolan." Leonardo told him.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of Edward and Mia. They will be fine by this evening." Laura said.

"You're right. Thanks for packing what was left of breakfast." Leonardo said before parting ways with Laura.

"There is so much there and you haven't eaten yet!" Laura scolded.

"I figured I'd wait and eat with Noelle. Be careful going home, Laura. I'll see you soon." Leonardo said taking off in the opposite direction.

This truly was a miserable New Year's Day. It was pouring, it was cold, and the sky was a wretched shade of gray. Leonardo made his way toward the end of Edward's street. It was a lonesome afternoon. There wasn't a soul to be seen on the streets; most likely because everyone was dead tired from partying the night before. It was funny, normally a day like today would have anyone in a most depressed mood…but Leonardo couldn't be happier. As he came closer to the center of town he noticed the streets became messier and messier from the night before. Someone would have a job on their hands cleaning up after last night's wild capers. Most of the stores were closed today except for a few scattered bars that were actually still open. Yes, Leonardo was one of the only ones out in this mess of a day. The cobblestone streets were running rapid with water, it was safe to stick to the sidewalk even though Leonardo thought he was losing time this way. He hoped that this food wouldn't cool off too much. The rain wasn't blowing toward him which kept the bag dry. The sight of the markets in the center of town closed down was a definite reminder that the biggest holiday of the year had kept everyone in their homes by now. Leonardo wondered how busy and noisy it must have been last night while Noelle tried to work in the wee hours of the morning. Between dodging the trash in the streets, the pools of water on the sidewalks and the mud, the sight of her house in view was like a beacon of light. His pace quickened the closer he got to her door.

The curtains in her windows were drawn, hiding this dismal day from view. Leonardo closed the umbrella up and knocked softly. She didn't come to the door. He knocked again a little louder; still no response. He tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened it slowly and just a little. Her living room was quiet. He opened the door farther, enough so that he could slide his way inside. He closed the door behind him. When he turned around Leonardo could feel himself loose his breath a little bit.

There she was, asleep on the couch and wearing the gray sweater Leonardo had left there the night before. He leaned back against the door feeling weak in the knees. Leonardo closed his eyes. "Oh my god…" he mouthed the words to himself. There was no way she could ever look any more beautiful than she did right now. There was the wine bottle on the table from last night. Cabernet Sauvignon would never again be the same. The image of Noelle putting that bottle to her lips and polishing it off was engraved in his mind…he never told anyone that Noelle never bothered getting her wine glasses out. Of course it wasn't the most appropriate way to drink wine…but it was perfectly appropriate when you were being French kissed and you didn't care what the hell you were drinking out of.

Leonardo opened his eyes at the sound of the kitten meowing at him. He put his finger to his lips. "Ssshh…Max!" he whispered to the kitten not expecting Max to understand. Noelle was a light sleeper. She yawned and squirmed around on the couch catching sight of her kitten greeting Leonardo.

"Hey…oh my….oh geez how long have I been asleep? Have you been here long?" Noelle asked rubbing her eyes and sitting up on the couch. Long black curls cascaded over her shoulders. She must have curled her hair sometime last night for the wedding.

"I just got here. How was your morning? Did everything go okay?" Leonardo asked her.

"Yeah, yeah things were great this morning. Come here." Noelle motioned for him to come join her but Leonardo had to shed a wet coat and wet shoes before going any further.

"So, how did you manage to get all those stitches straight?" Leonardo asked. Noelle laughed.

"I could sew blindfolded, half a bottle of wine isn't a challenge." She said.

"How long have you been asleep? I'm sorry I woke you up. I hope you're hungry. I brought the breakfast me and Laura made this morning. I know it's 12:30 and not really the time for pancakes but it's still warm." Leonardo said taking the bag over to the table in front of the couch.

"I've only been asleep thirty minutes. I had to give father a bath when I got back from the wedding even though I was exhausted. His needs come before mine." Noelle said. Leonardo sat the bag down but kissed her before going any further. Noelle sighed.

"I've missed you…is that stupid?" Noelle asked laughing.

"No, it's not stupid. I've missed you too…I had to deal with drunk Sothe. I would have rather stayed here with you and petted Max while you sewed." Leonardo said unpacking the bag.

"I can't believe you brought all this…I'm starving. Do you like cranberry juice? I have some." Noelle asked getting up to retrieve butter and silverware and the juice.

"Sure, I'll have some. By the way you um…you're…you look completely irresistible right now." Leonardo said opening everything up. Noelle smiled as she returned with her hands full.

"Your sweater smelled like you…I'd think of a better excuse as to why I'm wearing your clothes but I can't come up with any." Noelle admitted.

"You can wear my clothes any time you want." Leonardo said.

"I'll keep that in mind." Noelle said smiling as she noticed they would need some pancake syrup. Thank you for bringing this food over. I was starving. I only fixed enough oatmeal for my father today so this was really nice of you. So how was everyone this morning?"

"Laura was fine because she only had like two drinks last night. Micaiah was alright, just really tired when she woke up. Nolan and Sothe….well they always drink a lot but it never hurts them too much. Edward and Mia…well they are a mess, a total mess." Leonardo said. Noelle smiled as she hungrily dug in to the breakfast before her.

"It's all about pacing. They probably would have been okay had they just paced themselves a little better. You can't drink it all at once…gotta space it out. I knew Mia would stay there last night…" Noelle said.

"Really? How did you know?" Leonardo asked putting some bacon on her plate. Noelle smiled. Black waves of hair fell forward around her face. The look in her eyes indicated she knew more than Mia had ever let on the night before. "Well…Edward asked her to stay with him on New Year's Eve the weekend before when she was in town and she told him she would think about it. So, when she came into town yesterday she asked me if I thought it was horribly inappropriate for her to stay with him."

"Oh my god…I can't believe he actually went through with that. He told me he was thinking about asking her to stay with him…but I honestly didn't think he would actually do it since he was freaking out about whether or not to ask her. Wait…this morning Edward was in a half-drunken stupor and he said thanks and at the time I was thinking…what for? I'm thinking it was because I let him freak out for a good twenty minutes. So…what did you tell Mia? What did you think she should do?" Leonardo asked her.

The look on Noelle's face was brilliant. "I told her if it were you asking me…" She paused. "I'd do it." Among the words that described Noelle, sweet, kind, soft spoken, selfless, and gorgeous…innocent never quite made the list.


	8. War Stories

The house was quiet except for the rain that was pounding against the roof. Edward and Mia had slept all day. It was dark outside and there wasn't a candle burning in Edward's house right now. Edward stretched his arms over his head and pulled himself up. He looked around the dark room wondering what time it was.

"Mia? Are you awake?" He asked his voice sounding mostly recovered at this point. If Edward would have known, he probably would have never put his hand on Mia's back. She was just waking up…but at some point between the morning and now Mia had managed to strip herself down to her bra and now Edward's hand was right in the middle of her mostly bare back. He had no idea if she was still wearing her pants or not. He really, really hoped she was or this situation would get a hundred times worse than it already was.

"Mia?" Edward started nervously. "When did you take your shirt off?" Edward asked her.

"Hmmm? Oh…I have no idea." Mia said calmly. "I wonder where it is?" She asked. Out of all the panicking Edward had done in his life, this was the one time he could not totally freak out. Her skin was soft and as much as he didn't want to find her shirt…that was the only option right now that would completely prevent Edward's mental collapse. This was a situation that could get out of control quickly if Edward didn't find her shirt fast.

"Uh…let me…see if it's over here." Edward said leaning over the side of the bed to check. He couldn't see anything but he remembered what it felt like. "Here, here, here, here!" he said a little too frantically.

"Oh, thanks." Mia said obviously not noticing that Edward was having a moment. "You know, I feel a lot better now."

"Me too." Edward laughed. He suddenly felt much more relaxed than he did 20 seconds ago. "I think we drank way too much…but it was worth it."

"Yeah, it was. I just thought of something…all my clothes are at Noelle's and I've been wearing this same outfit for over twenty-four hours." Mia said.

"Oooh don't go get them right now, it's warm in here!" Edward said scooping her up and slightly pinning her underneath him. Obviously he hadn't remembered a thing Leonardo had said about NOT coming to Noelle's to get any of Mia's clothes.

"You're right, it is warm in here." Mia said wiggling around to hold Edward against her.

"When I get the motivation, I'll go get us a glass of water. I'm really thirsty." Edward said kissing the side of her head. Mia laughed.

"I'll get it. I don't care to actually do something…but I'm kind of underneath you so that's my excuse." Mia said.

"Do you realize this house is so dark that I can't even see you?" Edward said just noticing this darkness.

"Yeah…but that's okay. I'm so comfortable right now." Mia said. Now she had Edward completely on top of her. She tightened her arms around him and let her lips touch his. Edward could feel Mia's hands under his shirt. It made him shudder all over. Her hands felt wonderful. "How did you get this scar?" Mia asked softly as she traced her fingers over Edward's ribs.

"I got hit by a steel lance…I was being reckless…and I paid for it." Edward said his voice filled with both sadness and sentimentality. "It was bad…Leonardo gave me his last vulnerary that day. He saved my life. I was so mad at him for giving it to me. He was hurt too…and it was all because I rushed in too fast and he was trying to protect me from behind. I'll never forget it because I remember screaming at him for giving me the vulnerary." Edward laughed. "I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just use the damn thing and leave me to my fate. The only fight we've ever had was over a vulnerary." Mia kissed him again.

"I would hardly call that a fight, Edward. I think you just let your emotions take control of you." Edward laughed.

"You don't understand Mia. I called Leonardo every word I could think of for giving me the vulnerary and when I used it he blacked out and I thought he had died. I remember screaming and crying and screaming even more at him. Sothe dragged me away to get me back to our base even though I was hysterical." Edward said. "At the time I didn't know that Laura had gotten to him. She stopped his bleeding. I remember both of us laying on the same cot at the base camp. That may have been the only time I've ever hugged another guy that tightly. But you know what? I wasn't sorry for calling him a sorry ass this that and the other…he should have used that vulnerary." Mia laughed at Edward pushing brown hair out of his eyes even though she couldn't see him.

"I understand Edward…I'm so glad the war is over. I hated being away from home, always having to watch my every move and enduring so much intense fighting. It was a miserable time wasn't it Edward?" Mia asked saddened by the memories of the war.

"It was a miserable time. But hey, there was at least one good thing that happened amidst the fighting and that was that I met you." Edward laughed. "I told Leonardo that I thought you were really pretty." Mia laughed and kissed Edward again.

"You're sweet, Edward." Mia said before pulling his shirt up over his head. She wasn't sure why she did it so impulsively but she did. Let's face it…Edward didn't mind at all.

Unlike Edward's house where it was virtually pitch black, there were four candles burning in Noelle's house along with the fire. It cast a soft amber light throughout the room. Leonardo and Noelle had fallen asleep on her couch. She could feel tender lips on her neck. The more she felt the more she wanted. Leonardo could feel her squirm against him and that drove him crazy. It made him wonder how she would react if…no. No, no, no….no matter how much he wanted to there was no way he would dare touch his lips to her shoulder. He put his hand on her face and tilted her head so her eyes met his.

"Did you sleep well?" Noelle smiled.

"I did…I don't think I even moved. I'm not at all surprised that we've been asleep all day." Noelle said pushing soft blond hair out of Leonardo's face. "I hope it's early. I want to sleep longer. What are you doing tomorrow?" She asked wrapping her arms around Leonardo.

"I'm going on a completely useless recruiting effort…no one wants to enlist in the Daein army now." Leonardo said already feeling a bit bummed by the whole idea of a recruitment effort. "And you know, me and a few other guys did an exhibition at the last recruitment we did. A fifteen year old told one of the snipers that archery was quote 'gay'." Noelle could feel Leonardo shake his head against her. "I give up…I'm taking Sothe the next time. He can….stab things and then maybe a few people will want to join the army then." Leonardo sighed. "Archery isn't gay…is it?" Leonardo asked completely second guessing his entire military career. He didn't really give Noelle a chance to answer and instead continued his rant. She couldn't have answered him anyway, she was still laughing at him. "I should have been a carpenter…or that guy who picks people up in the horse drawn coach and takes them to wherever the hell they need to go around town. Why does the Daein army even pay me!? I haven't gotten anyone to enlist in six weeks!" Leonardo mumbled. Noelle tightened her arms around him as she continued laughing at this fuming. She managed to push herself over to her side. She kissed him. But it wasn't just any kiss…it was a kiss to prove once and for all that archery was so not gay. It left Leonardo breathless and frankly…thoroughly convinced that this was the appropriate career path. "Okay…that's the hottest thing ever. Let me feel it again." Leonardo told her. It didn't take any convincing. They had to be careful; it was like walking on thin ice. This could go pretty far but their relationship was still pretty new so it couldn't go too far…yet.

"How did you survive? When Begnion attacked Nevassa…how did you stay alive?" Leonardo asked her holding her against him. Noelle thought about that dreadful day that was now four years past.

"It was awful. I can remember we learned of the impending invasion of the Begnion army just days before it happened. I went to the tavern one night and Wesley and Johann told me to leave with them…to get my father and leave with them. I was reluctant at first. I thought it would be easier to just take my father to the cellar and protect him instead of leaving Nevassa until the invasion was over. I will never forget how serious Wesley was that night. He said that if I didn't leave the soldiers would come in…take what they wanted, kill who they wanted. He said if they discovered my father and I that they would have their way with me, kill my father because he's not of able body and take whatever they wanted from the house before burning it to the ground. He said the soldiers would gladly break ever bottle of wine in the cellar before burning me alive in this very house…" Noelle paused. "That was enough to convince me to leave. So...Johann, Wesley and I spent eight hours packing up all of our valuables." Noelle laughed. "We packed away 89 bottles of wine and disguised them in beer crates. It's funny looking back on how we did that." Leonardo stopped Noelle there.

"Oh my god…you have 89 bottles of wine down there?" Leonardo asked shocked.

"Well, four years ago I did….now I have 115 bottles. Remember, my father started the collection. I've only added about 25 bottles to it." Noelle said.

"Where did you go?" Leonardo asked, his eyes full of sadness.

"About thirty miles north out of town where Johann was born, Groserhn. It's a rural dairy town; we knew we'd be safe there. Looking back that was the easy part…packing up our life and taking my father north that is. The hard part…was coming back to Nevassa." Noelle remembered that traumatic time. She shook her head. "Do you remember how everything looked?" She whispered.

"I wasn't here when it happened. I was east with Edward, Nolan, Sothe and everyone else. We were in pursuit of the Pelleas rumor." Leonardo said. Noelle closed her eyes.

"Be glad…that you didn't see this city. They completely burned the south side to the ground. There was nothing left except for hundreds of poor, homeless people with no skills. All the bridges and some of the roads were destroyed. They killed livestock. They looted everything they could get their hands on…this very house was nearly empty when we returned." Noelle shook her head. "I slept beside my father on a mattress on the floor on our first few nights back. Our furniture had been destroyed since it couldn't be taken. All the windows in here were broken out which made it quite unsafe since crime had risen amongst the chaos. But the worst part….were the bodies…the dead…everywhere. My neighbor was my closest friend….Ninah. She had a javelin through her when I found her in the back of her house. People were starving including my father and me. Eventually, the police and a force of relief workers from neighboring towns intervened and things slowly, slowly started to rebuild." Noelle said. That was her story of how she survived war times. It was sad, yes. But she survived.

"I hope we never have to see another war like that. So what are you doing tomorrow?" Leonardo asked her remembering how they originally got on this subject.

"I have five fittings to do in the morning. I'll be finished up by noon for sure. Then I'm going to make a chicken pot pie. What time will you be back tomorrow? You can stop by if you want and I'll have dinner ready. I'm assuming Mia is going to come by at some point either tonight or tomorrow." Noelle said.

"Actually, I'm not sure what time I'll be back in town. These things usually don't last more than three or four hours. How about I just come when I get back?" Leonardo said.

"I'll look forward to it." Noelle said softly.


	9. Boundaries

The door opened softly. Mia noticed Noelle was nowhere to be seen but she could hear her talking to someone in the back room. Mia assumed she was fitting someone. This was the first Mia had been to Noelle's house since New Year's Eve which had now been two days ago. Mia slipped into the guest room to open her suitcase. All she had done was sit it on Noelle's guest bed and that was where it remained.

"I like the fabric you've chosen. This is going to be a fun project. I'll have it done at least two weeks before you need it. Mia hi!" Noelle said excitedly seeing that Mia had come in as she returned to the front room of the house. "Anyway, I'll get started on it and I'll see you in four weeks for your first fitting." Noelle explained.

"Thank you, Noelle. I'll see you in four weeks." Her client said leaving the house.

"Mia!" Noelle nearly yelled, so excited to see her.

"Noelle!" Mia shrieked. "I'm so sorry I didn't come in on New Year's Eve and you're right I didn't come in last night either…but I'm here now!" Mia said panicking. She stopped to breathe for a moment. "This is…positively the best New Year's holiday I've ever had. Do you have another client coming?" Mia asked sitting on the couch.

"No, I'm done for the day. I was getting ready to start chopping chicken for my chicken pot pie." Noelle said excitedly sitting on the couch.

"Oh my god! I'm so glad no one else is coming! I HAVE to talk to you!" Mia said quickly sitting beside her. She was about to explode with excitement.

"The chicken can wait a few minutes. I'll melt a bowl of chocolate!" Noelle said running into the kitchen and dumping a bag of chocolate chips out to heat on the stove. "You've been gone for two days Mia!" Noelle looked around the house as if someone were listening to her. "You were a virgin when you got here…are you still?" Noelle asked softly stirring the chips as they melted. Mia screamed into her hand but Noelle could tell she was smiling.

"Yes! Yes! I promise the answer to that is YES." Mia said shaking Noelle's shoulders. Noelle laughed and continued stirring. "Hey what's that gift over there in that chair?" Mia asked.

"Oh, it's a gift from the bride from the wedding. I haven't opened it yet, obviously. Okay, here's a spoon! Come on!" Noelle said handing a spoon to Mia and pulling her over to the couch with a hot pad for the saucepan. "So, we wait for this to cool for a couple of minutes then dive in. What do you HAVE to talk to me about?" Noelle wondered anxiously.

"I um…on New Year's Eve…I…fell asleep in Edward's bed…with Edward beside me." Mia said, her eyes wide with fear and excitement.

"Okay…" Noelle said stirring the chocolate and waiting for it to cool further.

"But…when we woke up early that morning…we had our arms around each other. It felt wonderful…he felt wonderful." Mia sighed nervously. Her hand was actually shaking as she dipped her spoon into the now cool chocolate.

"Calm down, sweetie. What did you do?" Noelle wondered digging her spoon into the chocolate.

"Okay, okay...you're easy to talk to and you're my friend. Edward and I slept pretty much all day yesterday and even through the night last night…but here's the thing. We…." Mia paused. Noelle looked at her encouraging her to go on. "We…we made out…a lot. There I said it!" Mia was a hundred times more relaxed now.

"That's it? That's what you HAD to talk to me about?" Noelle said a little disappointed that Mia didn't have more to tell her.

"I didn't know how you would react. Do you think we've gone too far too fast?" Mia asked indulging on this melted chocolate.

"No…no not at all." Noelle reassured her.

"Really? I'm so glad to hear you say that. I've just never dated anyone that I've really, really, reeeeeally liked before and I have no idea where the boundaries lie." Mia said.

"I don't really know anything about relationships because I don't have any prior experience. I wasn't raised in a strictly religious family where religion governed how you lived every day either. But I'll tell you exactly what my father, Wesley and Johann, the three men who raised me, told me as I was growing up. They would always tell me that a woman holds the cards. She sets the boundaries for every man with whom she becomes involved." Noelle laughed. "Then Wesley would always say boundaries are set to be tested. Should a man cross the lines a woman sets, he isn't worthy of her. Should a man remain within those lines a woman sets then he must be of great virtue." Noelle finished.

"They really told you that? That's had to be nice…to have such honest men raising you." Mia said completely enjoying this chocolate. Noelle laughed.

"Believe me…they've given me lots of advice, lots of wisdom….a lot of it not that cleanly put either. But you'd have to know, them to understand their way of not sugar coating anything. I haven't melted chocolate and eaten it like this for a long time." Mia smiled.

"You make me feel so much more assured. Of course I have to say, the chocolate helps too. I never thought of it like that…a woman setting the boundaries in a relationship. My mother was always quite the submissive personality maybe that's why. So it's okay then…what we did." Mia was actually reassuring herself. She didn't need any further approval from Noelle. Noelle licked the chocolate off the spoon before dragging it through the bowl again.

"Of course it's okay. You make the rules, Mia." Noelle told her.

"What would you have done…if I would have told you I wasn't a virgin?" Mia asked. Noelle smiled. The saucepan was getting low on chocolate so Noelle abandoned the spoon for her finger.

"I won't lie…I would have asked you…for every detail. And then…screw this chocolate we'd go out for ice cream." Noelle said as she laughed at the thought of that scenario. Mia laughed wildly.

"Oh you're funny! You're too funny! So hey, why do you need to chop chicken up anyway? You said something about doing that." Mia said also digging her finger into the saucepan of chocolate.

"Oh shoot! I have to get started doing that. I told Leonardo I was making a chicken pot pie today. He's coming by when he gets back in town later. Come on, you want to learn how to make it?" Noelle asked. Mia desperately needed to learn how to make something…ANYTHING else other than chocolate candy…the ONLY thing she could make.

"I would like to learn. I can't cook Noelle. I mean, at all…I'm a horrible cook." Mia confessed picking up their saucepan that they had nearly licked clean. Noelle smiled.

"Chicken pot pie isn't the easiest place to start, but I can teach you a few things with this recipe." Noelle told her. Mia followed her to the kitchen.

"Is this seriously your recipe book? How many of these have you actually made?" Mia asked admiring the thick book that Noelle had put together through the years.

"I've been through probably eighty percent of it. There are some recipes that I have no intention of ever making." Noelle said throwing ingredients on the table.

"I think I might move closer to the Daein border, when the weather gets better." Mia said out of nowhere.

"Really?" Noelle questioned.

"It's just that…I really like Edward and I know he likes me a lot too. If I move closer to Daein I can see him more often. In the meantime it's a big trip for both of us. Edward's going to come to Crimea soon for a few days." Mia said.

"That sounds like a great idea if that's what you want to do. I'm sure you can find someplace to live near the border." Noelle reassured her. "But, before you go moving near the border you're going to get your first hands on cooking experience." Noelle said spreading food out before Mia. It was obvious that Mia had already made future plans. It was refreshing to hear her talk about it with such light in her eyes. Noelle longed for the day when the weather broke, when she could put all her heavy winter clothes away and feel the warmth of summertime in Nevassa again.


	10. Summer Breeze

June in Nevassa was a beautiful time of year. The gardens had sprung forth with life and the fruits and vegetables of late summer would soon enough be ready for the picking. The flowers in the flower boxes on houses were bursting with color. The birds sung every morning and the gray skies of winter had long dissipated. The days were longer and the nights were hotter. Nevassa was more alive than ever, with crowds surging into the streets everyday and business booming. Merchants always did better in the summer than the winter. It was refreshing to be able to leave the windows of the house open every day and every night unless the occasional summer rain passed through. The smell of food vendors crept through the houses leaving delicious scents in their paths.

Edward had spent a week in Crimea in early March. It was weird not having him around for that week. It was an unforgettable week in Crimea and Leonardo knew Edward wasn't telling him all the details of his trip but he knew they would come out in due time. Mia had moved closer to the Daein border in April with the help of Edward, Leonardo and Noelle. Nolan and Sothe had even got in on this moving episode. Packing everything up and getting it moved was so much work but she made it. Speaking of Nolan, he had been seeing this girl since April. Neither Edward nor Leonardo liked her all that much and they weren't afraid to tell Nolan that. They thought she was….what's the word…unsavory. Sothe and Micaiah had celebrated their two year wedding anniversary with a lavish party at the Daein Keep in May. Once again Sothe drank too much and demanded too much information, but it was his anniversary and he was entitled to it.

Leonardo's beautiful home in the Pine Barrens was picturesque on this warm June evening. Leonardo did in fact make more money than Edward and it was apparent by his beautiful home in its beautiful setting. He lived in quite possibly the quietest and most serene part of Nevassa whereas Edward lived in the middle of the action. Both locations had their advantages and disadvantages. It was a perfect evening to be on the porch in the back of his house. The pine trees were so fragrant. The sun was starting to dip lower on the horizon but it wasn't dark yet. Leonardo had Noelle on his lap as they watched the fireflies start to illuminate the sky and listened to the neighbor kids playing at the house near the end of the street. The ducks on the large pond in the back of his house were preening and preparing to roost for the night.

"I can't get over the fact that you actually talked my father into going outside today in his chair. It's the first day he's been out of the house in five years. I didn't mean to cry earlier. I was just so happy when you told me hold much he enjoyed it." Noelle said. It was true that over the past five months Leonardo had spent a lot of time with Noelle's father, getting to know him, helping her take care of him and not just any man would do such a thing. Noelle's father liked Leonardo…maybe even a little too much. Though he couldn't say it, he could write how much he enjoyed Leonardo's company. He tightened his arms around her.

"Your father is a good man. He loves you so much. He might even love you as much as I love you." Leonardo laughed knowing that even though he loved Noelle more than life itself, there was no way his love for her could compete with a father's love. Noelle laughed.

"Well, he has to love me; he made me. You have a choice." Noelle kissed his hand. She thought about that cold night in late February when Leonardo told her he loved her. It was so unexpected and Leonardo, being who he was, naturally wanted to have it planned out when he told her…but that night it just came out. "I can't believe you not only took him to a baseball game but managed to get him a ball too. He used to love to play when he was younger." Noelle said sweetly.

"Yeah, that was a thrill for him. He held a funnel cake by himself in his good hand. I tore it apart for him. He was worried that I'd be embarrassed to be seen with an invalid. I told him of course I wasn't embarrassed. I just wanted him to have a great day. I think he might even let me take him out again sometime. You know…in a way he reminds me of my dad. My dad adored my mom, kind of the way your dad adores you. It would have broken my dad's heart if my mom or…my brother or me had to care for him like you do your father. I think it breaks your father's heart too." Leonardo said. Noelle smiled as she laid across his lap.

"I wish he would understand that I take care of him because I love him. Were you close to your brother?" Noelle asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, I was. He was four years older than me but we were close. He encouraged me to go into military school. That's what he did; only it was before the Mad King's War. But…he would have been so upset to hear that the occupational army overtook it. I miss him." Leonardo said a bit sadly. "Of course, I miss my mom and dad too…but my brother was by best friend. I think that's why Edward means so much to me. He's nothing like my brother was regarding his personality, but he's like a brother…does that make sense?" Leonardo asked.

"Of course it makes sense." Noelle said.

"So are you ready for our trip?" Leonardo asked as he pulled her up to face him. He had his hands in the middle of her naked back. She looked beautiful tonight in her cotton purple halter dress. But this was dangerous…the way she was straddling him, her dress creeping up her thigh and her arms slung over his shoulders. "Your skin feels hot, did you get sunburned today?" Leonardo asked running his fingers over her shoulder blades.

"I did a little and yes! Yes, I am so ready for our trip. The couple that lives across the street is going to look after my father while we are away. I can't believe it's only five days until we leave. I've already cancelled all my appointments for those days and rescheduled them." Noelle said.

"I know. I can't wait for our trip either. Edward is so excited. Work has been hard on him these past couple weeks so I know he can't wait to leave." Leonardo said kissing her bare shoulder. In early May, Leonardo and Edward had gotten their heads together and decided it would be a wonderful idea to go to the mountains this summer for a few days and stay in one of the cabins there. Noelle thought that sounded wonderful as did Mia. "I bet Edward is at home right now packing and repacking and then second guessing what he repacked. Edward is horrible when it comes to organizing what he wants to take on a trip. You wait, I'll go over there in a day or two and even though this trip is five days away he will have stuff all over the place and have no clue what to take. Noelle laughed.

"See, I'll be able to pack in about thirty minutes. I already have in mind most everything I'm going to take and I can fit it all in one suitcase.

"That's another thing…you watch and see…by the end of our trip at least half of Edward's stuff will end up in my suitcase. It's a phenomenon that happens every time Edward and I are in the same place for more than 24 hours. The truly funny thing is, when we helped Mia move I couldn't help but notice how she packed her clothes up…she just threw them all in a box and hoped the box closed. That's pretty much how Edward packs. And you wait, he'll lose something…borrow mine and lose it too. I don't know how he does it." Leonardo said laughing at the fact that Edward was so dysfunctional when it came to his organizational skills.

"Well, this is going to be fun. I haven't been to the mountains for years. I'm looking forward to seeing the waterfalls and going hiking." Noelle said.

"And we'll build a bonfire too. Summer nights in the mountains are cooler. It's also really funny to watch Edward try and light citronella tiki torches to keep the mosquitoes away. I hope the cabin has those kinds of torches because it's hysterical when he tries to get them in the ground." Leonardo laughed. "I know I should help him, but last time he did it I was laughing so hard at him that I wouldn't have been any help." Leonardo told her.

By now the frogs were chirping around the pond and the ducks had gone to roost. The whippoorwills cooed in the trees and the evening sun had disappeared below the pines. Nightfall was upon Nevassa. The faint smell of grilled meats loomed in the air from the open cook pits that adorned some of the houses.

"I love you." Noelle said. She kissed him, but there was something different in her kiss…it was a very good something…but nonetheless something was different. Maybe it wasn't in her kiss…maybe it was in her hips. There was also something different in her eyes. It was a look Leonardo hadn't seen before or…maybe he had but never this…intense. Maybe it was the humid summer night, or the gentle breeze rustling the trees. Maybe it was because she was so much in love and she knew it was mutual. Whatever the case, Noelle didn't even flinch as she felt the knot at the back of her neck come undone.


	11. Boys Will Be Boys

"Leonardo!? Leonardo are you home? Leonardo!? Oh, the newspaper!" Edward noticed as he opened Leonardo's door and took the paper inside.

"Hey, sorry I didn't hear you come in." Leonardo said as he greeted Edward with a wet head. He still had a towel over his shoulders from where he had been in the shower.

"I got the hiking maps for our trip today. I found them at that travel place in town. Here's your paper." Edward flopped the newspaper on the coffee table. "So, I'm trying to decide if I should take all summer clothes or all winter clothes. It's cooler in the mountains." Edward said.

"Why not take a combination there, genius?" Leonardo said teasingly. Edward snapped his fingers.

"That's exactly what I'll do! I'll take some long sleeves and short sleeves. I'll pack some long pants and some shorts…then somehow…I'll end up wearing your clothes like I always do when we go somewhere." Edward said smiling. "Here, you can pack the maps. Knowing me, these won't make it to my suitcase." Edward said laying them on the coffee table. "Guess what? Mia is getting to be a really good cook thanks to everything Noelle has been teaching her the past four months. She doesn't burn anything!" Edward said excitedly. Leonardo laughed.

"I'm very glad to hear that." Leonardo said laughing. "Now, she can cook for herself instead of eating a sandwich for pretty much every meal."

"Speaking of which, are we going to buy our groceries when we get to the cabin?" Edward asked.

"I think that would be best. That way we aren't hauling a lot of extra weight around. We can buy whatever we need there in town. Hey would you do something for me? Go in my bedroom and there is a list on my dresser of things we need to take with us that I don't want to forget. Will you go get that and go over it with me to see if I've left something out?" Leonardo asked examining the maps that Edward had brought.

"Yeah, hold on." He left the room to retrieve this list. Once in Leonardo's bedroom he found the list exactly where Leonardo had instructed him to find it. But he also noticed an open book on Leonardo's bed. He went over and picked it up. He started reading the page but he could feel the color fall from his face as he got toward the bottom of the page. He slowly made his way back into the living room where Leonardo was with this book hanging limp in his hand at his side. Edward was speechless as he stood in the arch way of the hall.

"Did you find it?" Leonardo asked not turning around to see Edward's shocked condition.

"Yeah…yeah…I…I found it…and…and I….I found…that…stupid book…thing…you keep…" Edward stumbled over his words. Now Leonardo could feel his face go pale. He had been writing down his life in journals for the past five years now. Leonardo was precisely on page 107 of his seventh journal. During the war, he would even let Edward write some of the pages. He knew Edward read everything he wrote all the time, especially when the country was at war. He was never careful with what he said and he never had anything bad to write. Edward used read it every night that Leonardo wrote something in it during the war. He never even asked so this moment right now was nothing new. The problem with this moment right now was…well…there were a lot of problems with this moment right now.

"Edward….you know that I've never cared that you read what I write…but oh my god Edward did you read page 107!?" It was a stupid question but Leonardo couldn't think right now. Of course Edward read page 107!

"When were you going to tell me!?" Edward said rushing back over to the couch, dropping the book on the table and grabbing Leonardo's shoulders. "It happened yesterday!? How!? When!? Here!? I didn't read the whole page hold on…" Edward said picking the book up again releasing Leonardo's shoulders.

"Edward…" Leonardo couldn't go anywhere with that sentence.

"OH MY GOD! WHOA…NOOOOOOO WAY…I've gotta turn this page!" Edward's voice had gotten all high and squeaky.

"Edward, you don't have to read I could just…" Leonardo was much more relaxed now.

"Three times!? Is that even possible!?" Edward whispered holding the book against his chest.

"Edward it wasn't…" Once again talking to Edward was impossible right now.

"I…I don't know what to say..." Edward said putting the book down on the table. He closed it this time. Leonardo looked at Edward with nervous eyes.

"Are you mad?" Leonardo wondered, his voice full of apprehension.

"Am….am I…am I MAD!? No! No! No! No! I'm not mad! My god you haven't even had a chance to tell me yet! I was just getting your list and I found out before I had even been here ten minutes! Edward said. "Come here…" Edward opened up his arms and threw them around Leonardo. "I always knew you'd be first." Leonardo felt a sense of relief. He had no idea how the hell Edward would react. He also realized he had not covered his tracks well.

"So…um…I have to ask…" Edward started. "Do you…feel different?" Edward had to know. Leonardo smiled and shifted his eyes toward the floor.

"Yeah…yeah I do…feel different. But I can't really explain how…I just do." Leonardo said. He looked up at Edward. "The look in her eyes… I don't think I'll ever forget that. She was um…it hurt…her…a lot." Edward studied him carefully.

"You love her…don't you?" Edward asked seriously. Leonardo smiled.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I think I know you well enough to say that you must really love her. You've had so many opportunities to sleep with any woman you wanted with no strings attached…but you never did…you never even thought about it for a minute…because you're better than that. She must mean the world to you. You just fell apart a little bit when you said it hurt her. In fact, you must love her…" Edward shook his head. "…in a way that I can't even begin to imagine." Leonardo laughed.

"You know me too well, Edward." He admitted.

"You do realize that you can never tell Sothe about this right? I mean, unless you never, ever, ever want him to shut up." Edward said laughing. Leonardo laughed at Edward.

"Oh god…Sothe…I'm pretty sure Sothe will love me forever if ever he learns of this…which he will it's inevitable. I can hear him now…in his seductive voice that uses on me from time to time in the most inappropriate situation…a blue eyed blond virgin is hard to resist Leo…can I call you Leo?" Leonardo said picturing Sothe going through his act. Edward laughed hard.

"Leonardo! You're funny. You sound just like him when you do that! So…what were we doing before I found out what you've been doing? Oh yeah…this list. You wanted to go over this list." Edward remembered what their original intent had been. Edward looked at the list but he was still sidetracked.

"I think we should take an extra lantern just in case." Leonardo said.

"Yeah…a lantern is a good idea…lantern…so how many details are you going to share with me before I start prying them out of you?" Edward asked.

"Well, what exactly are you wanting to know?" Leonardo asked.

"EVERYTHING!" Edward yelled excitedly. The look on his face was a combination of pure anticipation and zeal. Leonardo laughed at him.

"Edward, as much as you think you do…I'm sure you don't want to know EVERYTHING." Leonardo reminded him.

"No! No, that's where you're wrong! I DO want to know EVERYTHING? Do you have a hammock on this list? That's a good idea!" Edward was so wound up.

"Yes, yes a hammock is a great idea. I'm glad you think so too. Do you want something to drink? I have iced tea. I should warn you though I put a lot of sugar in it and something tells me you don't really need sugar right now."

"Of course I want some tea! Oh and could you maybe put some more sugar in it? Just for good measure! So um…how did…I mean…what did you…did you just ask Noelle if she wanted to have sex with you!? How does that conversation even work!? And weren't you nervous? What the hell!? Did you even know what you were doing!? What if I would have come over!? You know how I'm always just showing up unannounced! Oh my god…I'm going to have to start announcing myself aren't I? Or, do you want to just come up with a code word right now? Make it something simple and preferably one syllable." Edward was flipping out. Leonardo handed over a glass of iced tea to Edward.

"Here, take this tea, take a couple breaths, blink a few times and lean back on my couch because you're going to be here for a while." Leonardo told him. But Edward didn't lean back. Instead, he sat on the edge of the couch nearly leaping in the air.

"Are you seriously going to tell me everything? Should I close the windows? There are kids outside playing like two houses down!" Edward whispered. Leonardo sighed and gave him the look that he always gave Edward when Edward just wouldn't freaking calm the hell down! "Okay, okay I'm leaning back and getting comfortable. I'll even take my shoes off." Edward said. "Wait…Noelle's going to kill you if you tell me!"

"No she won't. You obviously don't know her the way I know her." Leonardo said reassuring him.

"Well of course I don't know her the way you know her! If I did….we would have a MAJOR problem! Okay, I'm ready to calm down and listen. If you say she won't care then you must be right." Edward said relaxing into the back of Leonardo's couch.

"This all started in her eyes…" Leonardo began.


	12. Poker Face

"Check this out..Micaiah made meatballs." Sothe said coming through the door.

"Oh, that was nice of her. Come on we're playing out back tonight." Leonardo said closing the door behind Sothe.

"Great! Is Nolan here?" Sothe asked following Leonardo to the back porch.

"Not yet, he's bringing some sort of fancy scotch tonight." Leonardo said opening up the double doors to his porch.

"Really? Nice. I will look forward to trying some of that. Edward, what the hell are you doing?" Sothe asked.

"I'm building a fire!" Edward said as he threw wood into the open fire pit near the porch.

"Man, it is eighty degrees out here! You do not need to build a fire." Sothe told him.

"Aww, but I want to!" Edward said looking at his work that was already mostly completed.

"It's okay Edward, go ahead and finish building it. We'll want it later anyway." Leonardo said not wanting to break Edward's heart over the work he had done putting wood in the pit.

"What have you been doing? I haven't seen you for like a month and a half!" Sothe said sitting at the round table on Leonardo's porch.

"I've been working too much, the commanding officer owes me like…three weeks off now. Do you realize I made 17 bows last week!? 17! The army doesn't even need 17 bows right now, we only have five new recruits and three of them aren't even in archery!" Leonardo said.

"See, that's what I don't understand. I would think that there would be several men and women interested in joining our army right now. Wow, you have a beautiful view back here. Look at that pond." Sothe said noticing the serenity around him.

"I'm lucky to have such a nice back yard." Leonardo said.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. You know that girl that I've been seeing that you all aren't crazy about? Yeah…I think she was stealing from me so I kind of had to end that before I came over." Nolan said sitting a bottle covered in a paper bag on the table before him.

"Thank god! Nolan, that girl was just gross on all accounts." Sothe said taking the bottle out of the paper to examine it. "I will find you someone that isn't trash from Nevassa's back alleys. Here taste this." Sothe said wasting no time cracking the seal on the scotch and handing it over to Leonardo. Leonardo sniffed it.

"Wow…that smells smooth…let's find out." Leonardo tasted the scotch that Nolan had brought for the evening. Leonardo shook his head as if he agreed with what was in the bottle and handed it to Sothe.

"That is some fine scotch." Sothe said after tasting it.

"I could get us some glasses…hey Edward…will you go inside and get four glasses?" Leonardo asked noticing Edward's fire project was complete.

"Yeah, sure hold on." Edward said dusting off his hands and heading into the house.

"So you like that, huh?" Nolan asked referring to the scotch.

"Yes! I do like that. You have good taste Nolan." Sothe said.

"Oh here, I brought the deck of cards tonight." Nolan said throwing them on the table. "I'm going to wipe you all up tonight." Nolan said confidently.

"You haven't won the last three times we've played." Sothe reminded him as Edward returned with the glasses.

"Which is exactly why I am going to win tonight!" Nolan said laughing.

"Oh hold on, I have salsa and some of those barbequed sausages inside. Let me go get them." Leonardo said getting up from the table.

"How lucky are we? It's a perfect night for poker, we have a full bottle of scotch and food!" Nolan said to Sothe extending a hand to him. Sothe grabbed his hand firmly.

"We are so lucky, though I have to say I felt bad leaving Micaiah tonight. Sanaki came to visit with us a few days and tonight Micaiah and her are going to some play. Micaiah said she didn't care if I went or not but I feel like I should have gone." Sothe said.

"They'll have their fun and Micaiah probably knows that." Nolan said.

"Yeah, you're right." Sothe said. "So Edward, I have to ask you….because I've been thinking about this for at least three weeks…does Mia want to fight you all the time? I mean, does she just walk up to you and say fight me Edward! Fight me! I'm totally serious right now…I sit around and wonder about that." And even though Edward was laughing at Sothe right now he could tell that Sothe was serious.

"No…no, not all the time. Yes, we have had some really good sparring matches but I think it's out of her system for now because she beats me every time. She's great to train with." Edward said. Sothe watched him carefully.

"She just strikes me as being OH MY GOD I MUST FIGHT SOMEONE RIGHT NOW all the time. She's not like that all the time?"

"No, I promise you she's not." Edward said pouring the scotch and passing it over to Nolan.

"Alright, here we go. Now our card game can begin. Thanks to whoever poured this scotch for me." Leonardo said returning with everything he had promised.

"I'll deal." Nolan said shoving the deck in front of Sothe for him to cut it.

"You know, if any of us smoked we'd probably be smoking right now. It just seems like something you'd do when you play poker outside." Sothe said.

"Except that we don't smoke so we drink scotch instead." Edward said. Leonardo laughed.

"Me and my brother tried a cigarette together once. I was fifteen and we both coughed so much that we thought we might choke to death. Looking back that was so funny. We decided that was a habit we definitely would not pick up." Leonardo said laughing as he remembered that time. Nolan dealt the first hand of the night.

"If your brother would have jumped off a cliff you probably would have followed him right down." Sothe said smiling. "I wish I would have had that kind of bond with someone when I was growing up. I've just always thought that there's something endearing and inseparable in a brother's bond." Leonardo smiled.

"I'll tell you this, as much as we did things together we had our fair share of fights too." Leonardo shared with him. This was only the beginning of poker night and the beginning of that bottle of scotch. Leonardo had, in the past, earned himself a reputation of sharing plenty of information as the bottles disappeared. That could be dangerous as this night progressed.

"So, where's um…where's your beautiful girlfriend tonight?" Nolan asked Leonardo.

"She is at the tavern tonight helping the owners Wesley and Johann change their stew recipe. For whatever reason they want to start serving a different stew. She said they would probably make several batches tonight."

"Any chance she'll drink a lot of beer with them, get totally wasted, come over here to see you and do things to you that were never meant for my eyes?" Sothe asked. Leonardo shook his head, this was Sothe after all….you couldn't take him seriously.

"Yes, yes Sothe it will happen exactly that way." Leonardo said sarcastically.

"There is a part of me that wishes you were telling the truth, but the tone of your voice says that you're not telling the truth." Sothe said.

"I really did tell her that she could stop by tonight if she wanted but I don't think she wanted to interrupt tonight." Leonardo said.

"Oh, she can interrupt our poker night any time she wants." Sothe said. "Granted, it would be better if Micaiah would come and interrupt our poker night…ditch Sanaki and come clawing after me. You know I think Noelle is damn beautiful, but she's no Micaiah." Edward smirked and got up from the table. Thank goodness Sothe didn't see the expression on his face.

"Sothe, I swear! Do you say that to convince yourself or do you mean it?" Nolan asked winning the hand. Sothe swallowed the last of his scotch.

"I mean every word man, every word." Sothe said taking up the cards and dealing the next hand. Edward returned and as he sat down he snuck a small piece of paper onto Leonardo's hand. Leonardo looked at Edward and then at the paper. Edward had written: 'You know he knows Noelle is prettier than Micaiah, right?' Leonardo just looked at Edward and laughed.

"Edward, how's Mia doing that that she's moved nearly to the border and all? Was that a tough adjustment for her?" Nolan asked.

"Actually, she's adjusted really well. She loves her house and it's so nice waking up and seeing the river. There are deer all over the place around her house because of the apple trees. The very best part is that there is freshwater lagoon in the woods behind her house. She's not sure how many people know about it. But the water there is so clear that you can see the fish swimming around. There's a waterfall that pours into it…it's just the most perfect place." Leonardo eyed Edward very carefully. There was more to that story…Leonardo hadn't heard about that before but he could tell in Edward's voice that there was, without a doubt, more to that story.

"God, you all are so lucky. I want what you have, I really do. Even though in the past I know I have not been…very wholesome for any woman. After this last girl I realize that I don't want what I used to want." Nolan confessed. "But here's what I don't understand…you're married and you two are in very committed relationships…I'm going to be 39 in a month…you two are seventeen years younger than me." Nolan pointed to Edward and Leonardo. "And you are fifteen years younger than me…now at the risk of sounding like an old man….when I was your age the last thing in the world I wanted was a committed relationship with anyone. What's the difference? What insane trait do the three of you possess that I lacked when I was your age?" Nolan wondered sincerely.

"Well, I knew I would marry Micaiah from the time we were both like fourteen years old because she was all I had and I was all she had and we've been inseparable ever since then. She didn't need a 3.75 carat diamond ring for her to know I would marry her…I got her that because I loved her and she deserved it. She's always known there was no way in hell I would ever leave her. And there is no way…I would ever…ever break her heart. So to answer your question Nolan, I truly think there are some men that are less monogamous than others. I think you my friend, are the one that took 15 years to get anti-monogamy out of your system." Sothe made an excellent point.

"Wow! That was exquisitely put, Sothe." Nolan said. "I have to say I think you're right."

"Take him for example." Sothe pointed to Leonardo. "He's slept with Noelle and there is no way…no way in this world that he would do that if he didn't insanely love her. Now you…" Leonardo cut him off.

"Wait…wait…how…did you know that?" Leonardo questioned him. Sothe laid his cards down and picked up his glass. He smiled and licked his lips nervously as he swirled the scotch around the glass.

"I um…I…didn't know that…actually…I….oh my god I wasn't even trying to corner you! I was being hypothetical. Oh my god, I'm going to need more scotch." Sothe said still smiling nervously. He honestly did not mean to put Leonardo in the corner like that and truthfully he felt a little bad. Right now Edward looked as if he were going to faint. "Okay, okay. If I win this next hand…you tell me when and where and I swear to you…I won't ask anything else. Not even after I have a lot of scotch in me, I swear Leonardo! I won't do that to you, man!" Sothe said emphatically as Leonardo dealt the cards. Edward felt suddenly a little more relieved but he didn't know why. He wasn't going to dare utter a word about how much he knew.

"Alright, but only if you win this hand." Leonardo told him.


	13. Sad Eyes

The trip to the mountains was exactly 24 hours away. It was 6:30 in the morning. Leonardo was half awake in his bed listening to the crickets chirp outside. He had the covers pushed down around his waist from getting hot in the middle of the night. Leonardo had clothes laid out on his dresser to pack. In fact, there were a lot of things laying around to pack because Edward had brought stuff over and literally dropped it all in the middle of Leonardo's living room. Leonardo had just started to stir slightly when he heard a knock at his door…or did he? Maybe he was hearing things, after all he was barely awake. There it was again, this time louder. It startled Leonardo as he shot up in bed. He wondered who in the world would be knocking at his door at 6:30 in the morning on a Thursday? He heard the knocking again as he searched the floor beside him for the shirt he had thrown there the night before; that would have to do for now. Whoever it was at the door, one thing was certain…it wasn't Edward. Edward had a key and he would have let himself in by now. There was the knock again.

He finally got up and made his way through the mostly dark house and to the front door. He looked out the key hole but didn't recognize the face of the man at his door. This man didn't appear threatening but instead a bit fidgety, perhaps he was in trouble and needed help. Leonardo opened the door with caution.

"Hello, I'm…so sorry to have awoken you at this hour. My name is Wesley Reade…Noelle Bradford…said that this was where you lived." Yes, this was the same Wesley that owned the tavern that Noelle had spoken of. There was a look of concern in his eyes and his body language was tense.

"Wha….what? Please, please come in." Leonardo said nervously as he opened up the door to Wesley. "What's….what's going on? Something's wrong isn't there?" Leonardo closed the door behind Wesley. "Please, come sit down…what's going on?" Leonardo nearly missed the edge of his couch as he sat down with Wesley. Something wasn't right…why else would this man be at his house right now? Wesley sighed; Leonardo could hear the air shake as it escaped him.

"No…Noelle's father died…Ssshhh…she woke up early this morning and went to give him his medication…and he was dead in his bed….he died sometime between 11:30 pm and 6:05 this morning." Leonardo could see that Wesley could barely get those words out. He just looked at Wesley in a state of shock…no idea what to say, his face was frozen, his mind was frozen.

"I…am terribly sorry to meet your acquaintance on such solemn terms. Noelle has spoken so endearingly of you…I had hoped to meet you in a more pleasant setting. She's at the house right now with Johann." Wesley said. Leonardo shook his head.

"No…no…not her father…no…no…she doesn't deserve that, she doesn't deserve to lose him, and she's too good to him….no…no…." Leonardo could feel his throat tighten up. He didn't even bother changing clothes. He got up from his couch, grabbed the house keys and he and Wesley left.

"When I left neither the doctor nor the coroner had arrived yet. I asked her what I could do for her…and she said she wanted you. I should probably warn you, she was a mess when me and Johann showed up at the house. Johann probably has her relaxed a bit, but I'd say she'll lose it again when you show up. Noelle's a tough one to shake…but this is enough to shake her through and through." Wesley explained.

"Is there any inclination as to what happened?" Leonardo asked wiping the mist from his eyes.

"Not officially, but as far as I'm concerned…I would say that Winston Bradford's heart just couldn't support his stroke-stricken body anymore. He had that stroke when he was 47 and now he's 52. Truthfully, I'm surprised he lived this long after having it." Wesley said. The streets were quiet this morning as they walked in near silence to Noelle's house. Leonardo didn't know what to say, he was in an utter state of disbelief. This couldn't be happening, this just couldn't be happening to Noelle. She didn't deserve this. Life had most certainly dealt Leonardo a hard hand in the past but as far as he was concerned Noelle didn't deserve to go through what he did.

He wasn't even entirely sure how he would react when he saw her. It wasn't like this was his father but the problem was that he had gotten attached to this man. He wasn't just an invalid man waiting to die…he had a daughter whom he loved, he had a soul, and he had hopes and wishes for the daughter he now left behind. Wesley and Leonardo had now approached Noelle's home. It appeared that either the doctor or the coroner had arrived as there was an unfamiliar coach before her home. "Do you think that's the doctor?" Leonardo asked quietly.

"I think it is. Johann notified the doctor first and the coroner won't come until the doctor determines the cause of death." Wesley explained opening Noelle's door. Leonardo could feel his heart leap into his throat. He didn't know what to expect and he wasn't entirely sure if he could keep himself together. Wesley closed the door behind them but neither Johann nor Noelle were anywhere to be seen. "I think they must be upstairs." Wesley said. "I think its best we wait for them to come back down. Oh, I apologize…I didn't even appropriately introduce myself to you. I was consumed with the bad news I had to bear." Wesley extended his hand to Leonardo.

"It's understood…and it's nice to meet you, though our circumstances are unfortunate." Leonardo said still unsure of how he was going to react when Noelle came down those stairs. Both Wesley and Leonardo could hear Johann and the doctor talking upstairs, Noelle's voice was yet to be heard. Leonardo could feel his heart beating faster.

"You don't need to see this. You've provided enough information…" Wesley and Leonardo could hear the doctor say. They both looked at each other. Leonardo was getting ready to head upstairs but he stopped when he heard footsteps. Leonardo shook his head and pressed his lips together as he stood at the bottom of the steps and peered up at Noelle on the fourth step. He opened up his arms to her and couldn't fight the tears anymore. He saw her face long enough to tell she had been crying immensely. She nearly flew down the steps and into his embrace; her arms trembled with fervor as she held on to him tightly. As predicted, the tears poured from her eyes. She muffled her whimpering voice into his shoulder. This was one of those hard cries that would later end up giving Noelle a headache.

"I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry Noelle…it's not fair…it's just not fair. No one ever said life was fair…but it's supposed to be for you…for you it's supposed to be fair." Leonardo was almost but not quite as wrecked as she was. He looked into the saddest and most destroyed brown eyes he had ever seen when he said it. Her face was red and her hair wet around her face. He could feel her tears on his fingers as he put both hands on her face. She tried to fight her tears but it was impossible.

"Tell me that it's alright…tell me….tell me that….that people die…" her chest was starting to hurt from all the sobbing. "…tell me that people die and that this….is a part of life…and that everything's going to be alright….I'm right….right? Tell me I'm right….please….please tell me I'm right…oh god….oh god….oooooh god why is it so hard to let go of him…." Noelle's head fell forward coming to rest on Leonardo's chin, her tears streaming down her face and landing on the collar of his shirt.

"I can't stand here and lie to you and tell you that it's alright…and that every thing's going to be alright. It's not alright…it's not alright. For now, for right now….it's not alright. Noelle…don't try and convince yourself that…that everything is alright…go ahead and fall apart…I'll put your pieces back together." Leonardo sniffed repeatedly, holding her head against him. Noelle was 100 percent composed 100 percent of the time…until now. She could feel herself crumbling and now she was nothing more than a broken lady waiting to be mended.


	14. Spilt Perfume

"I know what I think, but I thought I should talk to you first." Edward said to Mia. Her suitcases were packed and resting at the door. The zipper was pulled so taunt on one of the suitcases it looked as if it might explode apart any minute. Mia shook her head.

"I feel so badly for her. We can't go. It just wouldn't be right." Mia said. After learning of Winston Bradford's passing Leonardo told Edward that he and Mia could decide whether or not they wanted to go on the trip alone or cancel it. Edward knew that he had to be here for Leonardo more than ever before. There was no way he and Mia could go to the mountains without Leonardo and Noelle.

"The funeral is tomorrow. I guess Noelle's going to stay with Leonardo for a while. He doesn't think it's a good idea for her to be in her house alone. Not because she wouldn't be safe, but because he's afraid that Noelle's not ready to clean out her father's room upstairs. And she was really eager to stay with him. She packed up a lot of her stuff, and notified all her clients she wouldn't be working for a while. I think she knows it will be easier on her if she's out of her house." Edward explained.

"What should we do, Edward? I mean, really what can we do? Words are only words and…" Mia was interrupted by her suitcase splitting open and her clothes spilling out all over the floor. She sighed and shook her head. Just then Edward got an idea.

"Hey…we were going to go on our trip…why don't you stay here for a few days. It'll be fun…I mean, as fun as it can be with the situation and all. And look you're already unpacked!" Edward said jokingly. Mia laughed.

"Yeah, yeah okay. I'll stay." Mia said pleased with this.

"I have an idea. The best thing we can do for Noelle is to remind her that….that we're here for her. That she actually has friends that care about what she's going through. Let's make her and Leonardo a casserole and take it over there. I'm sure neither of them want to bother with cooking right now. Then after that, let's you and I go out for dinner." Edward said.

"That sounds like a great idea. So, what kind of casserole should we make?" Mia wondered. Edward thought a moment.

"We should make macaroni and cheese, it's not a casserole but I know that Leonardo loves macaroni and cheese. Come on! You can grate the cheese!" Edward said hopping up from the couch. Oh, this would be fun stuff. The thing Edward worried about was how he would find Leonardo when they showed up later. He knew Leonardo had dealt with death before but that had been several years ago and this time was different because there was also Noelle, whom Leonardo loved more than life itself. Edward feared that Leonardo wouldn't recover until Noelle did.

Meanwhile, across town Noelle worked in silence on the wedding gown that she had begun so many months ago in January. It had to be done next month and something about pulling the needle in and out of the fabric was soothing. Even though she had told all her clients she wouldn't be sewing for a while, she wanted and needed to work on this wedding gown. Leonardo was outside speaking with the coroner who had come with an official report and he needed a signature on the death certificate. He didn't feel like Noelle should deal with this right now.

"We're going to be okay, Max." she said to her cat who watched her closely as she worked. He seemed to listen to her every word. "Don't you worry Max…everything's going to be alright. We need to think about all the happy times father had before his passing. Dad wouldn't want me to be so sad, Max. He would say Noelle, there's no use crying over spilt perfume! He said that a lot when he could talk." Noelle actually smiled, she actually had the courage to smile. Max meowed at her. "Yes, that's right Max…there's no use crying over spilt perfume…or maybe in your case milk!" Max meowed again and walked over to the middle of the floor where Noelle was working. He rubbed his fuzzy tail up against her and purred. That actually brought a faint laugh. It really was going to be okay…life was going to go on and it was just like Noelle's father said…this was the spilt perfume and no matter how many tears were shed nothing was going to bring Winston Bradford back. Max had forced Noelle to put the needle down because he was in the middle of her lap. Just then the door opened.

"Hey…do you care to sign this? The coroner says I can't because I'm not related to you or your father." Leonardo said bringing the piece of paper over to Noelle along with a pen. Noelle could feel her smile fade away because the reality had hit her again. This was her father's death certificate and she was about to put her signature on it. She read it over…CAUSE OF DEATH: HEART FAILURE was all it said. There was no elaboration, of course the doctor nor was the coroner geniuses! How would they ever know for sure!? She seemed frozen as she stared at that horrible piece of paper. Noelle shook her head.

"Are you okay?" Leonardo got on the floor beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Max seemed a bit jealous of this.

"Dad's heart did'nt fail…his body failed…his heart continues to beat…" she paused and looked at Leonardo. "…right here." She patted her hand on her chest. She wasted no more time in slapping her signature on the certificate. Leonardo put a hand in her hair.

"You're…you're healing already aren't you?" Leonardo asked her a bit surprised by her reaction. She put her hand on his arm.

"There's no use crying over spilt perfume…I'll have my weak times I'm sure. Especially when the night comes…but all the tears in the world will never bring my father back. He had a happy life for a long time…it's time to start thinking about that." Noelle said seriously. Leonardo kissed her.

"I love you." His voice was serious and sincere.

"I love you too…now give that to the coroner and tell me I never, ever want to see him again." Noelle said looking down at a pouty Max. Leonardo rubbed her back before returning to the door to send the coroner along his way. It made him so happy to see Noelle with dry eyes. In fact, she had done well throughout the day today. She was amazingly resilient.

Back at Edward's he and Mia were just waiting to take their macaroni and cheese out of the stone oven.

"They will love this! I'm going to go take a shower before we leave; I'm covered in butter anyway." Mia said wiping her buttery fingers on the towel in front of her.

"Alright, that sounds like a good idea actually. I'll clean up that cheese we knocked on the floor and take one after you.

"Or you could just join me." Mia said smiling all over. It wasn't like they hadn't done this before. Edward stared at her a moment.

"Yeah….yeah okay…I could probably work that out." Edward answered her. What kind of answer was that!? Mia laughed and disappeared. Edward had to take a minute and gather his composure before getting up from the couch and leaving the room to join her. Now the real challenge was hoping that macaroni didn't burn.


	15. Grievance and Recovery

There was a knock at the door. Leonardo opened it only to see Mia standing there with Oven mitts adorning her hands. "Hey…" she said solemnly.

"Hey, come in, come in. Is that…macaroni and cheese?" Leonarod asked curiously.

"Yes, it is. But…I should tell you that this burned a little bit on the edges." Edward admitted.

"Why? Weren't you watching it?" Leonardo said moving away from the door and taking it to the stove where six other casseroles sat.

"Yeah…yeah we watched it." Mia said which would have been fine if Edward hadn't said no at the exact same moment. "Don't tell the truth!" Mia whispered with wide eyes.

"Oh sorry, I mean yeah…we…yeah." Edward said. Leonardo studied Edward, he looked a little strange right now but he wasn't going to question it.

"I see you have many other casseroles. Sorry, we wouldn't have made it had we known." Mia said.

"It's fine Mia, we'll eat this don't worry. Noelle didn't eat anything yesterday I expect her to devour this stuff later today. I've been working on it a little. Do you want something? There's a chicken casserole over there, green bean casserole, some kind of sweet potato casserole, cheddar potato casserole…thing. I even think there's some ham over there." Leonardo said.

"We're fine, really. We're here for you." Edward said putting his hands on Leonardo's shoulders. Edward looked at him for a moment. "How are you doing, really? And where is Noelle?"

"She's taking a shower and I'm fine, seriously I am. Yesterday was pretty traumatizing for a while because I mean, I was unexpectedly woken up, Noelle's father was already dead and all the events unfolded before 12:00 noon. But really, I'm okay now. I've got it together and Noelle's doing…well I can't believe how much better she feels today. Here, come sit down…disregard the explosion of wedding gown in the middle of the floor." Leonardo said patting the edge of the couch.

"That is so beautiful! I can't believe she actually made this!" Mia said. Leonardo couldn't help but laugh.

"Ask Noelle about it…she hates this gown….she thinks it looks like a cupcake. Anyway, yesterday was really rough and we didn't sleep much last night. It was actually very therapeutic for her last night…she sewed on this cupcake of a dress and told me so many stories of her dad. Of course she alternated between crying and telling me all about it. I really, enjoyed listening to her talk. Today has been better, when she comes out here I'm going to make her eat something. Like I said she hasn't eaten at all." Noelle emerged with black wet hair piled on top her head. If Noelle had known Edward and Mia were in the house she may have put on a longer robe.

"Hey…hey you two." Noelle said.

"Noelle…" Mia got up from the couch and went over to her, wrapping her arms around Noelle's terry cloth covered shoulders. "I'm so sorry Noelle." She didn't cry, yesterday she would have…but today she didn't. Mia didn't really know what else to say.

"We brought you macaroni and cheese." Edward said.

"Oh, thanks you guys. You know what…I'm starving." Mia let go of Noelle so she could get something to eat. "Leonardo, do you want something?" Noelle asked walking over to the stove to check everything out.

"No, that's okay, but you come sit down. I'll get it for you. What do you want?" Leonardo asked jumping up from the couch.

"You know, I am tired. I will let you get it for me and to answer your question I'll take some of everything." Noelle answered.

"I love the gown Noelle, it's beautiful!" Mia said mainly just to see what kind of reaction she would get. Noelle rolled her eyes.

"It looks like a cupcake, a giant white cupcake. Look how poofy it is! It won't even fit through a door. That thing is a disaster…but thanks." Noelle couldn't help but smile. Max came to greet Edward. It didn't take Leonardo long to bring her a plate of assorted things from the stove.

"Thank you…you're so good to me." Noelle said taking the fork and the plate from Leonardo. She was anxious to dive into this delicious food.

"Hey Edward, do you mind helping in the bedroom a minute? I need to move that chest near the closet to the foot of the bed." Leonardo asked of him.

"Sure, sure I don't mind." Edward said hopping up from the couch. He followed Leonardo into the back bedroom. "So, are you really okay?" Edward wondered.

"I am…I really am. I just freaked out yesterday. God it…it all happened so fast and Noelle was so…wrecked. Last night was really hard but we had a wonderful morning and she's been so strong today. I expect tomorrow to be a rough day since it's the funeral but you know we'll get through this. It's going to be okay." Leonardo said getting on one end of the chest.

"Did…Noelle seriously wear that to bed with you last night?" Edward asked eyeing the beautiful black satin on Leonardo's bed. He should have never asked that. For god's sake there was just an unexpected death to deal with! Leonardo looked at Edward as they shifted the chest toward the middle of the floor.

"She did…despite her fragility that overcame her last night…she was still terribly hard to resist…she looks…undeniably beautiful in that." Leonardo said.

"Edward shook his head. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I am….so, so sorry I should have never asked you something like that…this isn't the time or the place or…I'm so sorry Leonardo but my head is spinning right now and…me and Mia took a shower this morning….together….and….something else happened after that." Edward confessed. Leonardo dropped the chest in the middle of the floor.

"It sounds like you need to talk to me about this. I hear panic and wreckless ambition in your voice." Leonardo said. "Come here sit down." Leonardo said patting the chest beside him. Edward looked to Leonardo with nervous eyes.

"This isn't about me Leonardo…this is about you right now. You're going through a hard time." Edward said.

"It's okay Edward…really it's okay, now come on. Talk to me." Leonardo encouraged him.

"I know what you're thinking…and no…we didn't go all the way….wait…seriously why do you want to listen to me right now!? Leonardo, he died! He's gone, man! How can you do this!? How do you have the heart to listen to me?" Edward said frantically.

"Calm down! I told you…me and Noelle spent the better part of last night crying every last tear we could possibly cry for her father. But you can't dwell on it forever…it's life Edward…its life. You grieve and you go on. That's what we did last night. She's moving on so I'm going to move on with her. Now that I've given you my speech…talk to me." Leonardo had to put his arm around Edward.

"Alright…alright. You're…you're great Leonardo. So…have you ever done this before?" Edward whispered something to Leonardo and then looked at him mortified. As usual, Leonardo had nothing but calm and comfort in his eyes. He smiled.

"Yeah…and Edward…as you already know…iftfeels great…but..I felt so guilty because I had no idea how to give her the same. I mean I had NO idea at all. Didn't even know where to start." Leonardo confessed. Edward smiled.

"Mia taught me…and I can…teach you too. Leonardo…" Edward lowered the sound of his voice. "I can't stop thinking about the way she tasted. She was so….OH MY GOD! LEONARDO I SHOULD NOT BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW! TELL ME TO SHUT THE HELL UP! TELL ME I'M AN ASS FOR TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!" Edward yelled getting up from the chest. Leonardo didn't say anything for a moment, he just let Edward lose control.

"This is why you burnt our macaroni and cheese isn't it? You weren't watching the macaroni! You had your tongue…" Edward slapped his hand over Leonardo's mouth.

"Sssssshhhhhhh!!!" Edward hissed. Meanwhile, in the living room Mia had fixed Noelle a second plate of food.

"So…are you ready for the funeral tomorrow? I know that's a horrible question to ask." Mia said.

"You know…I am…I'm going to cry, I know I will but I want this to be over. I want it all to end and for life to go back to normal. I want us to reschedule our trip to the mountains and go and have a wonderful time. I want the funeral to be over, in fact I can't wait for it to be over." Noelle said. "I'm exhausted Mia…emotionally I'm exhausted and I need to recover."


	16. Winter Again

Another cold December had arrived. So much had happened since the warm summer months. June had brought happiness and sadness. July had ushered in hot days and even hotter nights. The anticipated trip to the mountains had finally happened with some very honest and candid campfire conversations. Noelle didn't even move back in to her house until the end of the month. Leonardo felt a certain emptiness in his home and in his heart when she moved back to her house. August brought Mia's birthday and a party along the river banks at her border home that ended with a bang. Edward got a job promotion in September and celebrated with none other than Leonardo, Sothe and Nolan. Sothe won seven straight hands of poker that night and plenty of gold coins. October's leaves turned brilliant hues and with the change came a major change in Noelle's bank account. She came into an immense sum of money due to four years of back pay plus interest from sewing uniforms for the Bengion army that the country owed her. It was so much in fact that she and Leonardo could rub shoulders with Nevassa's elite inner circle…they never did. No one knew about the inheritance except Leonardo, Edward and Mia. November roared in with a major snow storm stranding Mia at Edward's house for over a week…darn the bad luck. Edward had a lot of firsts to share with Leonardo. December was here and the winter dinner at Sothe and Micaiah's had come around again.

Edward licked his lips. "We've had this ale before."

"We have?" Leonardo asked sniffing the pumpkin spice ale.

"Yeah, yeah. I remember this flavor. I think we've had it here before. Hey, you want to split some stuffed mushrooms? I'm starving!" Edward said.

"I'd love to. You know what, you should have come over the other night. Noelle made Portobello mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. You missed it, we played cards and she popped out a delicious white wine." Leonardo said.

"I know! I should have come over but I was exhausted from work. The wine probably would have helped me relax." Edward said. "So, the winter dinner is in a week. Are we going to make loaves of bread again like we did last year?"

"We sure are." Leonardo said.

"What do you think the news is Micaiah has to tell us?" Edward asked.

"She's going to tell us she's pregnant, I just know it. She and Sothe have been married for two years and you know how Micaiah loves to make herself the center of attention at the dinner." Leonardo said.

"Do you really think that's what she and Sothe are going to announce?" Edward asked wide eyed.

"Definitely." Leonardo said finishing the ale in front of him.

"I can't imagine Sothe being a father…that's like…Nolan being a father. I guess we'll find out next week. So, I can't believe it's nearly been a year that you and Noelle have been together." Edward said. Leonardo smiled.

"I know. God…this time last year I was terrified to even ask her to this stupid thing…I never dreamed…well that we'd be where we are now."

"Oh you dreamed it…before you two ever got together you know you dreamed of that woman a thousand times…and everything you'd do to her and for her." Edward said laughing.

"Yeah…you're right…you're right. And I can't believe that you're still with a woman I thought you didn't stand a chance with. I really didn't think it would work so well for you Edward." Leonardo smiled.

"This year, I promise me and Mia won't get so wasted. I still think about how you took care of us that miserable New Year's Day." Edward said. Leonardo shook his head.

"I'd do just about anything for you Edward. For the record, after I got done taking care of you two, that day was the best nap I've ever had in my life."

"You only say that because you had Noelle's body wound around yours." Edward said.

"Of course that's why I say that. And the week Mia was snowed in with you wasn't the best week of your life because you spent it with your clothes on." Leonardo said laughing at Edward. Edward laughed with him. The stuffed mushrooms had arrived to the table.

"How long have we been coming to this place?" Edward asked.

"Ever since we wondered if we'd ever fall in love. Ever since the war ended and we wondered what it would be like to actually go on a date." Leonardo answered him.

"Yeah, which I did but you never did. Why not?" Edward asked. Leonardo shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know…I guess I never wanted to date any of the women I met…until I met Noelle." Leonardo said.

"How did you meet her anyway?" Edward asked not really knowing the full story.

"Remember when we cleaned my closets out shortly after the war ended? Well, those boxes of clothes we packed up were going to get thrown out later that night and my neighbor suggested that I give everything to Noelle Bradford. And of course, I was thinking….who? That's when my neighbor told me Noelle Bradford was a seamstress in town and could always use scrap fabric. He gave me her address, told me she did great work, and when I showed up to give her all those clothes to use as scarp fabric I became infatuated with her and only her." Edward laughed.

"See, I just remember you coming by my house clinging to her business card like it was a solid gold bar telling me that you had met the most beautiful woman you'd ever met in your life and that you were going to see if she wanted to go out with you…and you never did it! Because you were terrified she would say no." Edward said.

"Well, Edward you might be right…but if you remember you never asked Laura to go out with you." Leonardo reminded him as their waiter brought them both another pumpkin spice ale.

"I've never told you why I didn't ask her because I promised her I wouldn't…but that was well over a year ago." Edward said. Leonardo watched him curiously. Edward took a deep breath. "I never asked her because one night when you were away on a recruiting mission I ran into her in town. So, I asked her what she was doing and she was on her way to get groceries for the orphan's meals at the church. We ended up grabbing something to eat and of course she never has any more than one drink so she was sober when she told me this…I was still thinking about asking her out sometime but out of nowhere she asked about you…like as in if you were seeing anyone. She told me how she thought you were so great and so kind. I never asked her because I knew she had a thing for you and she wouldn't say yes to me."

"I never knew that, never suspected that, never….nothing…which is strange because I usually pick up on those things." Leonardo thought a moment. "That really surprises me…we're great friends and we have been for a while, but….that just surprises me."

"You know what I think? I think she was just swept away…just like you sweep every other woman without even trying. I think deep down she knew all along that you're too...I don't know what the word is...you're just too…you're out of Laura's league." Edward said. Leonardo laughed.

"Well, there's something I've not told you too…I um…before I came here to meet you I made the first down payment on Noelle's engagement ring." Leonardo said and he got the reaction he wanted. Edward sitting there about to take a bite of the stuffed mushrooms but instead staring mouth agape and his eyes about to pop out of his head.

"You did…you did WHAT!? Leonardo! You didn't even TALK to me about getting married and now here you are telling me you made a down payment on a ring!? What the hell!?" Edward said flipping out. Leonardo laughed at him.

"I wanted it to be a surprise…so…surprise!" Leonardo said.

"I can't believe this…I just…I can't…believe. Wait, Noelle came in to plenty of money why did you have to put a down payment on it?" Edward asked.

"Edward that is Noelle's money how lame would it be if I bought her ring with HER money." Leonardo said.

"But it seems like it's as much your money as hers. I mean god she lets you spend it on whatever you want!" Edward said confused.

"It's her money…not mine. The ring will be paid for in eleven months. It's beautiful. I'll take you to see it tomorrow.

"It's going to make Micaiah's ring look like something from the aftermarket leftovers isn't it? Then Sothe is going to get all crazy on you!" Edward paused. Their lives were changing in this wonderful post-war world. For a moment Edward panicked and wondered if he were going to lose Leonardo…but that would never, ever, ever happen. Marriage changes some things, but never this.

"You know, I want to get married at the coast…I wanted to go there with her long ago but that didn't happen now did it? We all should go to the coast and make a big trip out of it." Leonardo said. Edward laughed and shook his head.

"You're the only guy I know that would actually plan this far ahead. Why Leonardo!? Why must you always have a plan for everything!" Edward asked. Leonardo smiled.

"The same reason you never have a plan for anything and rush recklessly into things without thinking twice!" Leonardo reminded him. Edward raised his glass.

"Here's to keeping up that tradition. You do the thinking…I'll do the impulsive things!" Edward clanged his glass into Leonardo's

"Edward…thanks. You know, for not screaming across this entire tavern." Leonardo said.

"No, no. Thank YOU….Leonardo…for doing it all first and letting me learn from you. It's always been that way and it always will be." Edward said.

And that's what friends are for.


End file.
